A Loss of Innocence
by recon228
Summary: [Complete]Kim’s father has been kidnapped and the FBI has taken control of the investigation. Despite their warnings Kim decides to carry out her own investigation and soon finds that this mission is like none she has ever dealt with.
1. Chapter 1

Just a few disclaimers before I start the story;

**1.** I do not own Kim Possible or any of its characters.  
**2.** While I have done my best to make this story as original as possible, there may be some parts that are borrowed from other sources _i.e. Movies, TV, Books, etc._ So if a part sounds familiar, it probably is. (Just think of them as pop-culture references)  
**3.** This story starts off rather slow and focuses on detail and storyline. Therefore if you are impatient and want sex and violence from the beginning, this is not the story for you.

With that said, I hope you enjoy. I will try to update as often as possible.

* * *

**Summary**

Kim's father has been kidnapped and the FBI has taken control of the investigation. Despite their warnings Kim decides to carry out her own investigation and soon finds that this mission is like none the Possible/Stoppable team have ever dealt with. With help from some unusual sources, Kim and Ron set out to rescue her father. What Kim doesn't know is that this mission will eventually force her to choose between her father's safety and her moral beliefs. Rated R for language, violence, and minor sexual references.

* * *

**A Loss of Innocence**

By: recon228

**Chapter One **

_Middleton High School  
__Middleton, Colorado – June 2 16:30_

Kim slammed her locker shut and let out a frustrated groan before turning to leave. She didn't even notice her best friend Ron Stoppable standing next to her until she bumped right into him.

"Yo KP, what up?" He knew Kim had just finished Cheerleading practice, so he already had a pretty good idea of what, or rather who, was bothering her.

"It's Bonnie, she's being a total…" Kim sighed. "Oh never mind. Hey, you up for Bueno Nacho on the way home?"

"Are you kidding? The Ron-man is always up for Bueno Nacho!" With the announcement of a trip to his favorite fast-food restaurant, Rufus excitedly crawled out of Ron's pocket and climbed onto his shoulder. "That is of course if Rufus here doesn't mind the stop." The small pink rodent nodded happily before squeaking out "Mmm, Naco!"

They were just leaving the building when the familiar beep of the Kimmunicator sounded from inside her backpack. Kim snatched it out of her pack and turned it on to find Wade on the other end. Wade always seemed to be in an upbeat mood, and in the years that he and Kim had worked together Kim very rarely saw him upset. When she saw the grim expression on his face her cheerful attitude turned serious.

"Wade, what's wrong?" Ron stopped ranting about Nacos and looked back at Kim, worried about her sudden change in attitude.

"Kim, you need to get home right now," The urgency in Wade's reply sent a chill down her spine. "Your mom called, something's happened to your dad." The chill suddenly turned into a cold sweat as Kim found herself thinking the worst.

With her dad being a rocket scientist, it was not uncommon for him to work with volatile materials. There was always a slight chance that something may go wrong, but she had never really thought about it until now. Seeing the shocked expression on her face, Ron decided to take the initiative.

"What do you mean something's happened to her dad?" Ron's voice, while worried, also had a hint of force to it. "What happened? Is he alright?" Wade shrugged his shoulders and shook his head slowly,

"I don't know. Her mom was very upset and I didn't want to pry it out of her." Kim stood holding the Kimmunicator in one hand while covering her open mouth with the other. "Her family's waiting for her at home." Wade reminded. "You should drive her home Ron." With that he cut the transmission, leaving the two teens in shocked silence. It was Kim who spoke first.

"I-I always knew his job was dangerous," she responded on the verge of tears. "B-but I never thought anything would happen..."

"Don't even think like that!" Ron interrupted sternly. "I'm sure it's nothing bad." However, after seeing Wade's grim expression Ron's imagination wasn't much brighter. His stern remark snapped Kim out of her state of shock.

"Y-yeah, your probably right." She managed a weak smile, though Ron could see from the look in her eyes that she was still expecting the worst.

"He probably just hurt his leg again coaching the Tweebs." Ron rationalized as they climbed onto his bike. "The sooner we get you home the sooner you'll see that this is nothing to get upset about.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Ron turned his small gas-powered bike onto Kim's street. He looked back to check on Kim and saw that she had a look of absolute terror on her face. He looked forward again, only to observe a sight that caused his stomach to tighten.

The usually empty street in front of the Possible residence was packed with police and rescue vehicles. It was an overwhelming scene; there were two Middleton Police cruisers parked in her driveway, a large bus-like vehicle with the words _Mobile Incident Command Unit_ printed on it sitting with its right side parked on her lawn, as well as two unmarked sedans which pretty much had the word 'police' written all over them. While one of the sedans had standard Colorado plates, the other vehicle's plates had _US Government_ written on them. There was also an ambulance parked across the street, the medics were nowhere to be seen.

Ron hadn't even stopped the bike before Kim jumped off onto her front lawn and ran up toward the porch. He stopped and ran up after her, reaching her just as a uniformed police officer stopped her on the front porch.

"Sorry ma'am," the young officer calmly stated. "Family only beyond this point."

"B-but I am family!" Kim all but screamed at the young man. "My name's Kim Possible, I-I was told that my dad…" Her voice trailed off as the officer looked over his shoulder for approval from someone inside. Who ever he was looking at obviously gave him approval, because he quickly moved aside and let her pass. As Ron followed after her, the officer blocked his path.

"And you are?" The officer inquired. Kim answered before Ron could.

"It's ok," Kim shouted back. "He's with me!" The officer moved aside, though with more reluctance than he had for Kim.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two **

_Possible Residence  
__Middleton, Colorado – June 2 16:45_

The scene inside the house was just about as crowded and hectic as it was outside. The first thing Kim saw was the destruction in her living room. The couch was lying on its back next to the knocked-over coffee table, the TV was destroyed, and there was a large blackened circle in the center of the carpet. The entire room was roped off with yellow tape, the words _Crime Scene Do Not Cross_ repeated over and over. Two crime lab technicians in white protective suits were moving around the room. One of the techs snapped a photograph of an object lying in the center of the burn mark before the other one picked it up and placed it into a small bag labeled _Evidence_.

Seeing no one else in the living room she quickly moved into the kitchen. There she saw her mom sitting at the table surrounded by two paramedics and a detective who was talking to her and jotting notes onto a small leather notepad. She was holding a bandage against the right side of her head.

"Mom what happened? …Oh my god, are you alright?" Kim ran up to her mother and knelt down beside her. "What happened here? Where's Dad?"

Kathryn Possible looked at her daughter and began to lose control.

"Oh Kimmie…t-t-they took him away!" Finally she couldn't hold back her emotions and began to cry.

Seeing her mother so upset, Kim had to fight off the urge to cry herself.

"W-who took him away? Is he alright?"

"I-I don't know…it all happened so fast and…and…" Before she could finish her sentence she broke down once again into uncontrollable sobs.

Before Kim could further comfort her crying mother, a man in a dark business suit stepped forward attracting her attention.

"Excuse me, are you Kim Possible?" Kim nodded and the man reached into his jacket, retrieving a leather billfold. He opened it to reveal a small gold badge and a set of credentials. "I'm Special Agent Pollard, I'm with the FBI's Kidnapping Task Force."

"Kidnapping Task Force?" Kim had completely forgotten Ron was there until he spoke up. "What's the FBI doing here?" Ron wasn't exactly known for his brilliance. He adopted a look of confusion as everyone in the room, including Mrs. Possible, shot him an angry look. "What?" Rufus poked out of Ron's pocket and slapped his forehead before mumbling something unintelligible.

"Miss Possible," Special Agent Pollard continued. "Would it be alright if I speak to you in private?" Kim stood up, took a moment to compose herself and nodded.

"What about me?" Ron once again spoke up. "What do you want me to do?"

"Stay with my mom and make sure she's alright." Kim called back as she was led out of the room.

"You got it KP." With that he knelt down next to Kim's mom and placed his arm around her shoulder while Rufus retrieved her a box of tissue. Despite his sometimes-buffoonish attitude, Ron had a gift for helping Kim in her times of need. He was also considered by the Possible's to be an unofficial member of the family. Kim knew he could help comfort her mom while she was gone.

* * *

"Feel free to sit down if you wish Miss Possible." Special Agent Pollard gestured casually towards Kim's bed while he took a position leaning against her dresser. "So Kim…do you mind if I call you Kim?"

"No, I don't mind." Kim's voice was calm and steady, having been given a few moments to collect her emotions.

"Great, well feel free to call me Sean if you wish. Anyway, I'm sure this is of no comfort to you but I am very sorry for what you are going through." Sean spoke in a clear and comforting voice that seemed to relax her slightly. She nodded slowly before replying.

"I appreciate your concern Sean, but could you please tell me exactly what happened here?" It was more of a demand than a question.

"Of course." Sean cleared his throat before continuing. "From what Kathryn…err your mother told us, her and your father were watching television in the living room when the attack happened. We're not sure how or where the kidnappers gained access, but we believe it was through an unlocked back door. The first thing they did was throw this into the room."

He handed Kim a small clear evidence bag which contained an object roughly the size of a coke can, it was the same item she had seen the two lab techs collect from the burn mark in her living room. She gasped when she recognized the item as a partially destroyed hand grenade.

"Don't worry, that's what we refer to as a flash-bang grenade." The FBI agent reassured her. "Flash-bangs are designed to cause a bright flash and loud bang in order to stun and confuse whoever it's thrown at. The effects only last a few seconds." Kim breathed a sigh of relief and nodded for him to continue.

"Anyway, as soon as the flash-bang went off, three heavily armed individuals entered the room. One of the gunmen pushed your mother to the floor while the other two grabbed your father. Apparently your mom got a fairly good look at her captor before he hit her in the head with the butt of his rifle. According to her report, he wasn't wearing gloves. Our crime scene technicians managed to recover several latent prints, however most of them have already been matched to your family members." Kim dropped her head into her hands and began rubbing her temple. Sean gave her a moment before continuing. "The good news is that these people seem to be well organized. Now normally this is a bad thing, but with kidnappings it usually means the captors will exercise restraint. They know that if their hostage is harmed they will have nothing to trade."

"What do you mean trade?"

"You see Kim, this type of thing is all about money. Your father is very important to the space center and there are a lot of people who would be willing to pay good money to get him back." The certainty in Sean's voice helped Kim relax a bit.

"So this is a kidnapping for ransom kind of thing?"

"That's what I'm betting on."

"So have they called with a demand yet?"

"No, but it's very common for them to go as long as a week before contacting the family. They tend to get their money faster if the family has grown desperate." He shrugged apologetically. "Sorry but that's just how it tends to work out."

"But he'll be ok…right?" Kim asked, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"They know that if they hurt him they won't get their money. Your father is going to be just fine. In the meantime we've got some of the best law enforcement personnel in the country working to get him back as quickly and as safely as possible."

Kim took a deep breath and, for the first time since receiving Wade's message, began to feel better.

"I'm glad you're here to help get my dad back." She smiled up at Sean, noticing for the first time that the agent didn't appear to be much older than she was. "Do you mind if I go see how my mom is doing?"

"Of course not, go right ahead." Kim stood and began to leave. As she reached the door Sean spoke up. "Oh and Possible?" Kim turned back towards the young FBI agent only to be met with a hardened stare.

"I'm aware of your reputation as a teen-hero crime fighter. This is, however a federal investigation and will be handled by professionals only." Sean took a few steps towards Kim and looked her straight in the eyes. "These are not the type of people you are used do dealing with and any attempt by you or anyone else to interfere with our investigation will be met with severe consequences, good intentions or not. Do I make myself clear?"

Kim stared back at him with a look of fear and hatred before silently turning and leaving the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_Possible Residence  
__Middleton, Colorado – June 3 06:00_

Kim yawned as she walked down the stairs the next morning. Her mom was doing much better, having been reassured by every official present that her husband was going to be fine.

_"any attempt by you or anyone else to interfere with our investigation will be met with severe consequences, good intentions or not." _She frowned as she remembered Sean's harsh words from the night before.

'What was that all about?' She thought. 'I hope he doesn't actually expect me to sit back and do nothing to help get dad back safely.' As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Kim glanced into the now re-opened living room.

The lab technicians had finished processing the room shortly before ten o'clock the night before. After removing the broken furniture and righting the couch, Mrs. Possible had decided to let the police and FBI use the room as their command post.

There were about six computers set up on the coffee table as well as a complicated tracking/listening device wired to the phone. Two agents were sitting on the couch discussing the outcome of the previous night's football game. Ron was asleep on a nearby recliner snoring loudly.

It appeared that someone, possibly one of the agents, had tried to silence his snoring by taping his mouth shut with a piece of red evidence tape. The tape, however, was now hanging loosely from his lower lip, allowing Ron to continue his loud snoring. Rufus was asleep on top of one of the computers. She smiled to herself before entering the kitchen.

"Morning Kimmie." Her mother was leaning against the sink talking to Sean who was seated at the kitchen table. Both of them were drinking coffee. Kim tried her best not to glare at the young agent fearing her mom might notice.

"Hey mom, how are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm doing better," Kathryn nodded towards the kitchen table. "Sean here says we should hear from them in a few days." Agent Pollard nodded before taking a sip of coffee.

"Where are the Tweebs?" Kim realized for the first time that she hadn't seen or heard from either of her younger brothers since she had arrived home the evening before.

"Jim and Tim are staying with their friend Adam for a few days, just until everything calms down." Kathryn finished her cup of coffee and turned to put the empty mug in the sink. "By the way, Ron is still here. His parents gave him permission to stay here for a few days to help out." As if on queue, Ron walked into the room with Rufus on his shoulder.

"Morning y'all." Ron yawned.

"Hey Ron." Kim shot her friend a warm smile before turning her attention to Sean, who had begun reading the morning paper. "So Agent Pollard, you got any updates for me?" Sean looked up at Kim and took another sip of coffee before answering.

"Unfortunately there's nothing new to report. As I told you last night we recovered a number of latent prints from the living room. However, we've since matched them all to members of your family."

After his threat the previous evening Kim had developed an instant dislike for the cocky young agent. Her feelings were apparent in her dialogue.

"So in other words you've got nothing." She stated harshly.

"Kimberly Ann Possible, don't be rude!" Kim's mom, like most parents, only used her daughter's full name when she was angry with her. "Sean here is working as hard as he can to see that this ends quickly." Agent Pollard gave Kim a conceded smirk before returning to his paper.

"Whatever." Kim mumbled under her breath before grabbing Ron by the arm and heading towards the door. "C'mon Ron, let's get outta here."

"I wouldn't recommend leaving the house right now." Sean called to them as they entered the hallway.

"And why is that?" Kim shot back.

"See for yourself." Sean gestured towards the kitchen window, as Kim and Ron walked back and glanced out.

Outside, the already crowded street had been completely blocked with the arrival of the local media. Kim counted at least five small news vans, most of which appeared to be from nearby Denver. As she surveyed the scene, a large satellite news truck appeared around the corner and pulled to a stop.

"Hey, CNN's here." Ron said as he and Rufus stared out the window fascinated by the growing scene.

"As you can see, you're probably better off staying here for the time being." Sean walked up next to them and rinsed his cup out in the sink. Kim turned and headed back towards the hallway.

"I'm heading up to my room." Kim replied to no one in particular. As she left the room Ron followed, catching up to her at the base of the stairs.

"What's wrong Kim?"

"I don't know." She sighed. "There's just something about that guy that makes me uneasy."

"He seems fine to me."

"I just feel like he's holding something back. I'm gonna have Wade check on some things for me."She started up the stairs but Ron grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Kim, Sean told you not to get involved with this. Just let them handle everything."

"Relax Ron, I'm not gonna get involved, I just want Wade to make sure they're not missing anything."

* * *

Kim and Ron were upstairs watching TV when the Kimmunicator beeped. 

"Hey Wade, got something?" Kim was eager to see what he had found.

"As a matter of fact I do." The twelve-year-old super-genius happily replied. "Remember how Agent Pollard told you that all of the fingerprints recovered had been matched to members of your family?"

"Yeah?"

"Well I accessed the Middleton Police Department's records and found that they recovered twenty-three latent fingerprints from your living room last night."

"And?" Kim was eager to see where he was going with this.

"The FBI only matched twenty-two of the prints, there's no record of the twenty-third one being processed." Wade grinned triumphantly and took a sip from his Slurpster.

"Wade, is there any way you could locate and process the twenty-third print for me?"

"Already been done." Wade leaned back in his chair before continuing. "It'll take me some time to get the results back because I had to go through a third party to have it analyzed."

"You rock Wade! Kim out." Kim shut off the Kimmunicator and turned to Ron, giving him an 'I told you so' look.

"Just because they didn't run one little print doesn't mean they're hiding something." Ron tried to reassure his paranoid friend. "It was probably just another one of your family member's and they matched it by hand."

"We'll see." Kim stated.

* * *

It was almost ten pm when Wade called back. Kim was reading a book titled _Kidnapping Procedures Manual _that she had found downstairs and Ron was sitting at her desk, playing one of the many mindless shooting games he had installed, when the Kimmunicator beeped. 

"Wade," Kim was eager to find out what he had found. "It's about time. What took you so long?" The young boy raised his hands in defense.

"Sorry Kim, but I told you it would take some time to get the results back." Wade said. Kim smiled and shook her head.

"Sorry, I'm just getting anxious sitting around like this."

"No big, but you're never gonna guess what I found."

"The print doesn't belong to one of my family members?" Kim asked with optimism.

"Nope, it belongs to Officer Bill Kellerman of the Upperton Police Department." Wade said, leaning back in his chair with a grin. All of Kim's excitement suddenly drained away.

"Officer? Then that means…it was left by one of the cops _after_ my dad was kidnapped. Shit." Kim swore to herself in disappointment.

"Don't get upset yet," Wade was still grinning. "Are you ready for some really shocking news?"

"What?"

"Officer Kellerman has been on administrative leave for the past two weeks due to an excessive-force charge against him. His fingerprint shouldn't have been in your house." Kim began to open her mouth but Wade interrupted. "But that's not all. According to his file, Officer Kellerman used to work for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Do you want to take a guess as to what his assignment was?"

"Let me guess," Kim's optimism was quickly returning. "He was on a Kidnapping Task Force."

"Bingo. Apparently he had a fairly good track record until an incident three years ago. For some reason the incident file has been deleted, but I do know that it had to do with the death of a kidnapping victim. Shortly there after, Kellerman resigned and moved to Upperton where he was hired by the Upperton Police Department." Wade sat back and took a sip from his drink, pleased with his own work.

"Well," Kim left the Kimmunicator on her bed and stood up, heading towards her closet. "I think I need to go have a word with Officer Kellerman."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Ron said in a concerned voice as Kim began to change into her mission clothes.

"Ron's right Kim." Wade agreed. "If he is one of the kidnappers, he's probably dangerous. I really think you should tell the FBI about this. I'm serious Kim, let the professionals handle Kellerman."

"If the FBI had done their damned jobs in the first place, they would already know about Kellerman's involvement." Kim's eyes burned with rage. "Besides, I need to make sure he wasn't here earlier before we do anything else." Before Wade could argue further, Kim shut off the device and placed it in her pocket.

"Kim I…" Ron stood up from the desk but it was too late. Before he could attempt to persuade her, Kim opened her window and slipped outside into the night.

* * *

_- Hey there, hope y'all are enjoying the story so far. I hope to add a new chapter at least once a week for the time being (Maybe sooner). So read, enjoy, and review. Oh and stay tuned, next chapter the shit really starts hittin' the fan ;)_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_1143 Howe Rd.  
__Upperton, Colorado – June 3 22:55_

It was almost eleven when Kim arrived at her location. She quickly exited the minivan before turning to thank the driver.

"Thanks for the lift Mr. Marks."

"It's the least I could do after you helped my daughter make the cheer squad." The man happily responded.

"No big, she has alot of talent." Kim replied before the car pulled away from the curb and disappeared around the corner.

She approached the small ranch-style house and double-checked the address on the wall.

'1143, this is the place.' She thought to herself as she pressed the doorbell. She heard footsteps approaching on the other side before the door opened to reveal a man in his mid-thirties dressed in khaki shorts and a t-shirt.

"Can I help you?" The man had a slight hint of hostility in his voice.

"Are you Officer Kellerman?" Kimasked in a soft and innocent tone.

"Yes."

"My name's Kim Possible, I was hoping I could talk to you for a few moments." Kellerman's face flashed a hint of panic before he smiled and nodded.

"Of course, come on in." Kellerman moved aside and gestured for her to enter, which she quickly did. He then led her into the dining room and offered her a seat, taking a seat across the table from her. "I heard about what happened to your father today, I'm very sorry. If it's any comfort, I do have an idea of what you're going through."

"Yes I know, that's actually why I'm here. A friend of mine told me of your experience with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and I was hoping to get some insight from you as far as what to expect and what I can do to help."

Kellerman shot her a slightly confused look.

"I don't understand, isn't the FBI handling the investigation?" Kim's eyes flashed with anger.

"Yes, but I'm beginning to doubt their good intentions." Kellerman nodded in understanding. "They want us to just sit around and wait for the kidnappers to call. They aren't doing anything to try to track them down." Kim thought she saw a smirk flash across the man's face, but it was gone too quickly for her to be sure.

"I can understand your concern about the way things are being handled but you should know that in my time with the Iowa DCI, I worked over a dozen kidnapping cases, most of them with if not under FBI assistance. Believe me those guys may act like they got a broom handle up there asses at times, but they're the best there is. I can also assure you that they will do their best to capture the men responsible for this, they're just waiting for your father's safe return before taking any action."

Kim leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath.

"Thank you, it's very reassuring to hear that from someone with your experience. By the way, are you assisting with the investigation?" Kim asked innocently.

"No, unfortunately I'm about to leave for a vacation."

This time it was Kim's turn to smirk.

'Gotcha you son of a bitch.' She thought to herself.

Kellerman stood suddenly and pointed towards the other room.

"I'm gonna get a cup of coffee. You want anything?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Alright, be back in a second." Kellerman turned and exited the room.

Kim stood slowly and took a look around. It was a pretty standard dining room, not much different in its layout than her's in fact, but there was one item of furniture that drew her attention. In one of the corners, near the entryway to the living room, was a decorated oak cabinet about six feet tall and four feet wide. It had two large glass doors that opened outward and were engraved with various types of wildlife.

Inside the cabinet there were about a dozen different types of guns. There were six handguns hanging off of hooks on one side, and an equal number of larger ones, both rifles and shotguns, leaning in order on the other side.

Kim approached the cabinet and was reaching to open the doors when Kellerman returned.

"Are you a gun enthusiast Miss Possible?" Kim jumped and spun around to find the man standing behind her casually sipping his coffee.

"Oh no, I mean yes, I mean…well it's not that I _don't _like guns. It's just that I've never really dealt with them before." Kim tried her best not to sound or look worried.

"No problem," Officer Kellerman gestured towards the cabinet. "Feel free to take a look. And don't worry, they're all unloaded." Kim turned and opened the cabinet.

She didn't really dislike guns; in fact there was something about the way they worked that had always fascinated her, not that she would ever think of carrying one on a mission though. She leaned down and picked up one of the larger guns, marveling at its weight and beautiful wood construction.

"That's an M1 Garand," Kellerman announced to her. "My father carried that very same gun onto the beaches of Normandy, France during D-Day. It was the standard issue rifle of the US Army until 1957."

Kim returned the rifle to its place and looked over the rest of the collection. She focused on a smaller black rifle that looked ominously out of place with the other wooden guns. Kim knew very little about guns, but this one was hard not to recognize. She had seen it countless times before on the news, carried in the hands of American soldiers overseas.

"Is that an M-16?" She asked, not taking her eyes off of the menacing-looking rifle.

"No that's an AR-15; the civilian model. That's the gun I was carrying when I hit your mother in the face."

Kim's chest tightened.

'What did he just say' She turned around just in time to find herself staring down the barrel of a small chrome handgun. Kellerman stared at her coldly from behind the weapon.

"Do you think I'm a fucking idiot Possible?" He took a step towards her forcing her against the opened cabinet. "You really thought I had no idea why you were here?" Kim stood wide-eyed, unable to move. "Well I must give credit where credit's due. After all, you obviously found more than the FBI did. Too bad about your dad though." Kim's eyes widened in shocked horror before Kellerman chuckled. "Oh don't worry, not yet. But he's a dead man as soon as we get what we need." He pulled the hammer back, which produced an evil clicking sound. "Oh well, at least he'll have you to keep him company in Hell."

Kim couldn't believe this was happening. This wasn't how it worked; the bad guy didn't just _kill_ his captive. Kim's train of thought was suddenly disrupted as several men in black tactical clothing stormed the room. Before she could react, she found herself in the middle of a shouting match between the SWAT team and the crazed officer.

"**FBI, DROP YOUR WEAPON!**" One of the commando's shouted at Kellerman, only to be responded to with "**FUCK YOU, DROP YOUR WEAPONS YOU ZOG MUTHERFUCKERS!**" Kim stood frozen for what seemed like hours before she heard a voice directed at her shout, "**POSSIBLE, HIT THE DECK!**"

Perhaps due to the direct nature of the command, Kim snapped out of her shock and dropped to the floor, covering her face with her hands. Seconds later she heard a single shot, followed by several others in rapid succession. The noise was so intense she didn't even realize she was screaming until it was all over. Before she could make any movements, her arms were suddenly jerked from in front of her face and restrained with a pair of flex-cuffs by one of the masked FBI agents.

She turned her head and attempted to identify herself only to have his knee placed firmly against the back of her neck. After being cuffed, Kim was yanked upright by the SWAT commando.

As she was led out of the room Kim caught a glimpse of Officer Kellerman, or rather what _used_ to be Officer Kellerman. The ex-cop was slumped against the wall with three crimson bullet-holes tattooed on his chest. There was also a considerable amount of the top of his head missing. Kim had heard the term 'blowing someone's head off' used before but she had never thought it was actually possible. She fought off the urge to vomit as she was led into the living room and shoved onto the couch.

"I thought I told you not to get involved in this investigation Possible." Agent Pollard said as he placed his helmet on the table and removed his facemask.

Kim wasn't listening to a word he said; instead all she heard were Kellerman's words repeating in her head.

"_he's a dead man as soon as we get what we need._"

"Possible, are you listening to me?" The FBI agent snapped his fingers in front of her face, bringing her back to reality. She looked up at the young agent before he continued. "I said you're under arrest for obstructing a federal investigation. You have the right to remain silent. If you choose to waive that right, anything you say will be used against you in court."

As Sean recited her Miranda Rights, Kim once again slipped into a state of shock.

'How? How could this be happening to me?'

Sean led her out of the house and down the street to a waiting car. As he opened the back door he spoke up once again.

"Oh and Possible? One more thing…" Kim turned to face the agent but was stopped as he placed her in a chokehold and covered her mouth with a small cloth. As a sharp chemical smell stung her nose, Kim heard the words "Sleep tight." Then there was nothing but blackness.

* * *

_- Hey surprise! I know I said to expect one chapter per-week, but my shift today was unbelievably slow so I spent most of the morning parked under a tree in my cruiser typing this chapter. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term ZOG, don't worry, that will be explained later (I'd tell you now, but it might give away what's coming up). Hope you're all enjoying the story; I appreciate any reviews you leave (Even if they're bad...I guess)._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five **

_June 4 – 17:05_

_Kim stood frozen in place as Officer Kellerman cocked his gun. "Oh well, at least he'll have you to keep him company in Hell." She tried to move, to do something, but it was too late; she watched in horror as he fired the gun, striking her father between the eyes and sending a fine spray of blood and brain-matter flying against the wall behind him. He was dead before he hit the ground. She opened her mouth to scream, and that was when she woke up._

"**No!**" Kim shouted as her eyes shot open. 'It was a dream?' Kim thought. 'It was only a dream.'

"Well, look who decided to wake up." Kim glanced to her left and saw Sean grinning at her. She was in a car, and Sean was driving.

"Hey KP!" She spun around and found Ron sitting in the backseat with Rufus asleep next to him.

"Ron? What the hell are you doing here?" Kim pointed at Sean. "He…he's one of the kidnappers!" Sean laughed at Kim's comment.

"Relax Kim," Ron reassured his friend. "Sean's on our side in this."

"But…he drugged me!" Kim spat out.

"Yeah about that," Sean said in an apologetic tone. "Sorry about drugging you, but I felt it was easier than trying to explain everything to you in the short amount of time available."

Kim shot him a suspicious glare. "Easier?"

"Yeah…well, for me at least." Sean smirked.

Kim glanced out the window of the car; outside all she could see was open range and a few farmhouses. "Where are we?"

"We're about one hour north of Cedar Rapids." Sean stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Cedar Rapids…Iowa?"

"That's the one." Sean's voice held a hint of sarcasm. Kim looked around the car in confusion. "Let me start from the beginning." Sean offered. "Last night, my team and I attempted to arrest Officer Bill Kellerman after his fingerprint was located at the scene of the kidnapping. We were hoping to catch him off-guard and take him alive, however, when we arrived we found _you_ there about to get shot and had no choice but to use deadly force in order to save your life. Because of your failure to comply with my earlier warning, I arrested you for obstruction of justice and placed you into custody at the Englewood Federal Correctional Institution just outside of Denver." Sean chuckled at the look of complete confusion on Kim's face before adding, "Or at least that's what _officially_ happened."

Kim glanced back at Ron who had begun playing his portable game system. "And _unofficially_?"

"_Unofficially_, I…took care of you and contacted Stoppable here. I told him to grab some clothes for both of you and meet me at the Middleton Inn. Once there, I filled him in on the situation and we headed out."

"To do what?" Kim still had no idea what was going on.

"To rescue your father." Sean stated calmly.

"Whoa! Wait a minute…back up." Kim interrupted. "Rescue? What happened to 'sit back and wait for them to call'?" Kim noticed that Ron stopped playing his game and looked up at her with a look of concern on his face.

Sean sighed before responding. "I'm afraid that's not what this is actually about."

Kim's look of confusion turned to dread as she remembered Kellerman's words from the night before. She gave Sean a cold stare before asking, "Since when?"

"Since always, I'm afraid. I originally told you that in an attempt to keep you away from the investigation. Once I discovered that it would be impossible to keep you away, I moved on to Plan B."

"And what is Plan B?"

"Put simply," Ron interrupted. "Drugging you, throwing you in his car, and bringing you and me along to rescue your dad."

"So," Kim asked in a stern tone. "What _is_ this all about?"

"I'm sorry Kim, but I really can't disclose the specific details of this operation."

"**Bullshit!**" Kim shouted, slamming her fist against the dashboard. Her outburst caused both Sean and Ron to cringe slightly. "This is my father's safety we're talking about! I want to know exactly why he was kidnapped! If this wasn't for the money, then what the _fuck_ was it for?" She stared at Sean with a look of absolute rage.

Without warning, Sean slammed on the brakes and guided the car to the shoulder. He stared back at Kim for several seconds before he sighed, exiting the car and opening the trunk. After a few seconds, the agent closed the trunk and returned with a manila folder in his hands. He glanced over at Kim as he sat back down and closed the door. "What I am about to tell both of you will not leave this car, ever. I need both of you to swear to me that you will not repeat any of this to anyone." He waited for both teens to agree before handing the folder to Kim. "The group responsible for kidnapping your father is known as _The New Order_. They're a small but dangerous extremist organization that believes they are preparing for a holy war against the federal government. They see us as Satan's children and refer to us as a Zionist Occupation Government or ZOG." Kim remembered that Kellerman had used the term ZOG when he spoke to Sean and his team. "They are heavily armed, highly motivated, and do not shy away from violence; even against civilians."

Kim opened the folder and browsed through its contents, most of which were detailed accounts of the group's activities and history. As she flipped through the pages, she came across a photograph of a man in his 40's dressed in camouflage and holding a rifle. "That's Kerry Noble," Sean announced to her. "He's the founder and self-proclaimed leader of _The New Order_. We believe he was one of the gunman who stormed your house."

"So what does my dad have to do with all of this?" Kim asked as she closed the folder and handed it to Ron.

"We believe they're using him and his research to develop a weapon." Sean stated in his all-too-calm tone of voice.

"I don't understand, what does my dad know about weapons? He works at the Space Center." Sean removed his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes before answering.

"Kim, I'm not quite sure how to say this but…" He paused for a moment while he tried to find the right words. "Your father does _not_ work for the Space Center. He's a bio-researcher for USAMRIID."

Kim stared vacantly at Sean for several seconds before asking, "What, the hell, is USAMRIID?"

"The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. There was a highly classified lab located within the Middleton Space Center whose purpose was to raise and culture Level-4 bio-agents for research and weapons development. Shortly after his kidnapping, Dr. William Possible entered the lab and left with a sample of a highly infectious and deadly virus known as Blackpox. We believe that _The New Order_ is using him to make a bio-weapon for them." Kim and Ron both stared at Sean in complete disbelief.

"What's Blackpox?" This time it was Ron who asked the question.

"Blackpox," Continued Sean. "Is a rare mutated form of Smallpox that occurs in a small percentage of infected victims. It's a hemorrhagic form of the original Smallpox bacteria, as easily spread as Smallpox and as deadly as Ebola. It got its name from the large black spots that occur from massive internal bleeding. After the global eradication of Smallpox in the 1970's, the only known samples were kept in high-security labs in the US and Russia. A few years ago, our scientists managed to isolate and breed the Blackpox bacteria. Since then, your father and his colleagues have been experimenting with safe methods to kill it, as well as appropriate preventative measures that can be taken in the event of an outbreak of the virus; either accidental or intentional."

"Whoa, that's some pretty dangerous stuff." Ron commented. "And you think these guys used Mr. Dr. P. to get a hold of it?" Sean nodded grimly.

"I…I…" Kim stammered as both men turned their attention to her. "I think I need some air!" She opened the door and ran a few feet from the car before dropping to her knees and vomiting.

As Ron exited the vehicle to comfort his friend, Sean took a deep breath and slumped back in his seat. "Christ, what a fucking mess." He mumbled to himself.

* * *

_- Well there you have it; another chapter, another plot twist. I had to re-write it about four times before I finally got it to sound right. Thank you to all who have taken the time to review my story, I will have the next chapter up within the week._


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey, I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has taken the time to review my story and respond to a few of your questions._

_Skymouth: Sorry, but I'm purposely writing this story from a directed point of view. My intention is to give the reader no more info on Mr. Dr. Possible's condition than Kim, Ron, or anyone else in the story has received. In response to your second question, I'm a police officer._

_God-hand Number 7: Yeah, I'll admit that USAMRIID is a bit of a stretch, but I know some people whose careers definitely don't match their personalities. Besides, I felt that a small domestic terrorist organization trying to develop and use an ICBM seemed a bit more far-fetched than an easily cultured viral bacteria like Blackpox._

_Thanks again for your reviews and I hope you're enjoying the story so far.

* * *

_

**Chapter Six**

_Route 150 Northbound  
__Near Independence, Iowa – June 4 17:20_

Ron walked up slowly and put his hand on Kim's shoulder. "KP, it's alright, everything's gonna be ok."

"Don't touch me!" Kim hissed, slapping his hand away.

He watched as she stood up, walked to the edge of the gravel shoulder, and sat down drawing her knees up into her chest. He turned and began walking back to the car, 'I guess she wants to be alone right now' he thought.

"Ron wait!" He turned and saw her looking back at him. "I'm sorry…I…I didn't mean to do that." Ron returned and took a seat next to her. "I'm just feeling so…"

"Overwhelmed?" Ron offered.

"Yeah." Kim responded weakly, staring at the ground. "I don't think I can handle all this. These people…Kellerman and the others…they're a whole new kind of evil."

"They're nothing we haven't dealt with before." Ron responded, placing his hand gently on her shoulder. "After all, evil _is_ evil."

"No, these people _are_ different." Kim stated forcefully. "Last night, I came closer to dying than I ever have before." She shuddered at her own revelation. "At least when Drakken or the other's captured me, I knew I could escape. When I turned around and found myself looking down the barrel of a gun…" Kim's voice trailed off as a single tear slid down her cheek.

Ron suddenly recognized an emotion in Kim that he had never seen her exhibit before: fear. This wasn't 'afraid to ask Josh Mankey to the dance' fear; his best friend, the fearless Kim Possible, was truly _afraid_.

Without hesitating, Ron grabbed Kim and hugged her, speaking in a soft and comforting voice. "I know you're afraid Kim, I'm afraid too, but I _know_ we can do this." He pulled away slightly and looked her in the eyes. "Just remember: you're Kim Possible, _You can do anything._"

Kim stared back at her best friend for several seconds before leaning forward and kissing him.

* * *

Sean took a deep breath and slumped back in his seat. "Christ, what a fucking mess." He mumbled to himself. He glanced back at Rufus who was staring at him. "What?" He asked defensively. "She _wanted_ to know…it's not _my_ fault if she can't handle the truth." The small animal just shook its head and crawled over to the window. Sean would have continued the argument, but his cell phone began ringing. He removed the phone from its cradle and flipped it open.

"Pollard." Sean said calmly into the receiver. He grinned when he recognized the voice on the other end. "Hey Susan…no we're about twenty miles South of Independence."

He paused as the voice on the other end spoke. "Well, Kim's not really taking the news too well…" he laughed as the caller spoke, "No, she made it _out_ of the car before puking…so how are things going on your end." He listened for about thirty seconds before responding. "Sounds good…no we should make it to Oelwein in about ninety minutes. What kind of accommodations did Uncle Sam arrange for us?"

Sean groaned when he heard the response. "Sue, how are an FBI Agent and two teenagers supposed to share _one_ room with _two_ beds?" He chuckled at the response given to him. "I don't think they're quite to _that_ point in their relationship yet." He glanced out the window just in time to see Kim lean forward and kiss Ron. "Then again…oh nothing, so where's the meeting place gonna be?" He pulled a small notepad out from the sun visor and wrote an address down. "Cool, any idea who your agency is sending…no? Oh well, as long as they got their shit together we'll be cool…Alright, take care babe."

Sean hung up the phone and sighed before looking back at Rufus. "I hope to God this all works out."

* * *

Ron froze as Kim grabbed and kissed him. His mind, as well as his heart, was racing. 'Kim's kissing me? Why? Is this from the stress? Or is it something else?' Before he could fully react, Kim pulled away; a look of shock and embarrassment plastered on her face.

The two teens stared at each other in stunned silence for several seconds before Kim spoke. "I…uh…I think I'm alright now. C'mon, lets get going." She stood and walked sheepishly back towards the car and Ron suddenly found himself fighting to keep his eyes _above_ her waist.

"Um, yeah…coming KP." He stood and followed her.

They both got in the car just as Sean hung up his cell phone and returned it to its cradle. 'Oh God, I hope he didn't see that.' Kim thought. Then she saw the slight grin Sean was trying his best to conceal. 'Oh shit! He did…he saw the whole thing.' Kim tried not to blush, but found that she couldn't.

"You ok now?" Sean tried his best to sound concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Who were you talking to?" She asked, changing the subject.

"That was a friend of mine from the NSA." Sean figured the respectful thing to do at this point was to tell them the truth. "They're working with us on this operation and we're going to meet up with one of their agents tomorrow in Oelwein, Iowa. There we'll switch cars, pick up our equipment, and get both of you armed and set up with some target practice."

The fact that Sean was now referring to this as an operation worried Kim, but she was more concerned about the other term he had used. "Armed?"

"Yes Kim, _armed_." He pivoted in his seat so that he was facing both Kim and Ron. "As you are well familiar, _The New Order_ is not a bunch of Boy Scouts. They are heavily armed and will not hesitate to _kill_ any of us, including your father. The NSA Agent and I _will_ be armed for this operation and I plan for both of you to be armed as well. As I'm sure you've suspected, I'm not on the FBI's Kidnapping Task Force; I'm the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau's Hostage Rescue Team. This type of thing is what I do Kim, and while the HRT's motto is _'To Save Lives'_, I will not hesitate to use deadly force in order to ensure that everyone, including your dad, comes back alive. If you can't handle the way I work, then I can always return you to federal custody."

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but Kim stopped him. "Sean, I'm willing to do whatever I need to in order to get my dad back safely. If the rest of _The New Order_ is anything like Kellerman was, then I suppose your methods _are_ the only way to do that."

"Kim…" Ron began to speak, but she kept talking.

"In the past, I've been able to rely on my unarmed fighting skills to defeat my enemies. But in the past, my enemies have never been heavily armed fanatics." Kim turned and looked at her friend. "Ron, I'm going to do what Sean feels is best. I'll understand if you don't want to do this."

Ron didn't even hesitate. "Kim, Mr. Dr. P. is practically my second father. Besides, when have I ever said 'no' to a mission with you? I'm with you till the end, you know that."

Kim smiled at him before turning back to Sean with a serious look on her face. "We're in." Sean nodded and brought the car back on the road.

"Alright, we should reach Oelwein around seven. Tell you what guys, tonight dinner's on me." Ron and Rufus both grinned at the idea of free food. Kim meanwhile, was focused on another topic: Sean. Kim had noticed that the federal agent looked young when she first met him, but now she was wondering just how old Sean actually was. He had changed out of his tactical gear and was now wearing a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt underneath an unbuttoned plaid over shirt. Kim didn't even realize she was staring at him until he spoke.

"Kim, I understand the stress you're going through right now, and I know I'm probably not coming across as a very compassionate person; so if you've got something you want to say to me, just say it."

"How old are you?" Sean turned and gave Kim a shocked look before breaking into a fit of laughter. He had been fully prepared for any number of obscenities to be hurled at him, but her question had caught him totally off-guard.

He took a moment to compose himself before answering. "Well since you ask, I'm twenty-two."

"**Twenty-two!**" Both Kim and Ron shouted in surprise.

"Something wrong with that?"

"Besides the fact that my dad's rescuer is only _four_ years older than me?" Kim muttered under her breath. Sean's hearing, however, was much better than she thought.

"My age has nothing to do with my skills Kim. I'm the HRT's ASAC because I'm the best there is. If _anyone_ can get your father back, it's me."

It sounded like bragging, but something about the sincerity in his voice told Kim that Sean was not exaggerating. "Well if you are the best, than I guess we're lucky to have you."

The next hour and a half was occupied by silence.

* * *

Just as he had predicted, they pulled into Oelwein, Iowa at five minutes after seven.

"The Bureau's reserved us a room at the Super 8." Sean announced to the others. "Let's check in and use the bathroom, then we'll see what there is to eat around here." He got no complaints from anyone.

* * *

"Um…where's the third bed?" Ron asked, eyeing the two queen-sized beds in the middle of their hotel room.

"Unfortunately the federal government's budget is stretched pretty thin these days." Sean's voice had an overwhelming volume of sarcasm to it. "So they could only spring for _one_ room with _two_ beds. I hope you two don't mind sleeping together." Ron and Kim both gave each other an embarrassed glance, causing Sean to laugh. "Hey just kidding guys. You two take the beds, I'll sleep in the La-Z-Boy." He gestured to one of the two recliners sitting next to the window.

"You don't have to do that." Ron offered. "I can sleep on the floor if you want."

"Nah, it's cool. I'm used to sleeping upright anyway. I don't even own a bed." The two stared at him as if he was nuts. Sean just shrugged. "They take up too much room. In an apartment, space is crucial." Kim thought of asking him what he did sleep on, but decided against it.

"Well," Sean clapped his hands and gestured towards the bathroom. "If y'all will excuse me, I gotta take a shit." Kim shot him a disgusted look, which he ignored. "Hey Ron, why don't you check the phonebook for some places to eat." Before he headed towards the bathroom, Sean reached under his over shirt and unclipped his gun and holster; placing it on the dresser between Kim and Ron.

This caught Kim off-guard, for some reason the fact that Sean was armed had never occurred to her. 'C'mon Possible,' she scolded herself. 'He's a federal agent; of course he's armed. Tomorrow you will be too, so stop freaking about it.'

"Relax Kim," Sean said, noticing the look of surprise on her face. "It's just a Glock, it won't bite you."

* * *

The waitress had just delivered their drink orders when Kim spoke. "So Sean, how did you get into this type of work anyway?"

"What, law enforcement?"

"Yeah, law enforcement, FBI, HRT, how did you achieve all of this by age twenty-two?" Kim clarified.

"Well, it started when I was a freshman in high school. The local police department in my town had an Explorer program that allowed kids my age to experience what police work was all about and I decided to give it a try. It was mostly just office work and ride-alongs at first, but as I got older I gained experience and began doing more fieldwork. When I turned eighteen, I began taking night classes at the police academy, and shortly after that, the chief hired me as a Reserve Officer and assigned me to the Friday night graveyard shift. Then after I graduated from high school…"

"Whoa wait," Kim interrupted. "That was all while you were still in high school?"

"Yup." Sean answered. "Anyway, after high school I began taking classes in Criminal Justice at the local community college. Because of my years of experience in the field I was always at the top of my class, this of course attracted the attention of my instructor who happened to have a good friend in the FBI. After a few lengthy conversations with him and some other government personnel, I was hired by the FBI on my twentieth birthday." Kim stared in awe at the man sitting across from her. She had always thought of _her_ life as fast paced, but it was nothing compared to what Sean's was like. She suddenly found herself feeling slightly jealous of the young agent's accomplishments.

Sean continued with his verbal autobiography. "Once I graduated from Quantico, I was assigned to one of the various counter-terrorism divisions established shortly after September 11th. From there…I don't know, one thing just led to another and before I knew it, I was appointed ASAC of the HRT." Sean sat back and took a sip of his drink just as the waitress returned with their food.

"Wow, that's impressive." Ron said before digging into his cheeseburger.

"Yeah…" Kim stated absently. With some obvious exceptions, Sean's life didn't seem all that different than hers. 'Teenage crime-fighter, above average student, is this where I'm going to be in four years?' Kim thought. 'I guess that's not a _bad_ thing, I just never thought of my work as progressing anywhere."

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind and focused on more important matters: specifically, the sirloin steak sitting in front of her. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since she had eaten and the urge to shove the entire thing into her mouth was almost overwhelming. Fortunately for her pride, she was able to control her urges.

* * *

_June 5 – 01:45_

Kim rolled over and tried for what seemed like the thousandth time to fall asleep, but it was still no use. She opened her eyes and focused on the clock beside her bed, the digital readout glared back at her: 1:45am. 'Great…just great.' She thought. I've gotta be up in three and a half hours and I can't fucking get to sleep!' Kim didn't normally swear, even in her thoughts, but recent events had quickly altered that. Her insomnia was being caused by several things; the fact that she had already gotten over sixteen hours of sleep the night before didn't help, then there was the fact that her father's safety rested solely in her, Sean, and Ron's hands, as well as the hands of some unknown NSA agent who was meeting them in, oh yeah, a little over _three_ hours! But the thing that was bothering her more than anything was her little 'roadside kiss' the day before. She couldn't get the idea of kissing Ron out of her mind. 'It wasn't like it was the first time I've done it.' She attempted to rationalize.

'Yeah, but last time you were under the control of Dr. Bortel's Moodulator.' Another part of her brain argued back. 'Yesterday's kiss was done entirely by free will.'

'Well I _was_ under a lot of stress,' She retorted, 'That's kinda the same thing.'

'Get real Possible…' She interrupted her own argument by quietly getting out of bed and walking over to the window.

As she passed Ron, who was fast asleep and snoring, she suddenly found herself smiling, which only confused her more. She tried to focus on another topic, _any_ other topic as she reached the window and sat down in the empty recliner next to Sean. She checked to make sure the young agent was asleep before once again letting her eyes fall on her sleeping friend.

'_Was_ it the stress? Or was it something else?' She thought back to that evening the previous October; after she had overcome the chip's power and Ron had nervously asked her if the crush was all the Moodulator's doing. _'Not everything, there's still fireworks.'_ Like all the other events of that day, she had attributed _that_ comment to the Moodulator as well: 'some type of residual emotional instability' she had assumed. Now, however, she was beginning to wonder.

"Can't sleep?' She jumped when Sean spoke.

"Oh! Um, yeah…I just got a lot of things on my mind is all." She hoped Sean hadn't noticed whom she was staring at, but as usual, soon realized that was not the fact.

"I can see that." Sean said with a grin, he was looking at Ron as well.

"Oh no! I wasn't thinking about _that_. That was just an emotional thing…y'know, from stress…we-we're just friends." For some reason that last part seemed unusually foreign to her.

Sean's grin turned into an evil smirk. "Kim, I didn't say anything about that."

"Well, I…" She tried to defend herself, to reassure him it wasn't what he was thinking, but she quickly gave up.

Even in the dark, Sean could see her blushing. "You want some advice Kim?"

"Uh yeah…sure." She wasn't sure how much valuable advice she could get from someone four years older than her, but she was willing to do anything to break the uncomfortable silence that had engulfed the two of them.

"You and Ron have been best friends for about fifteen years right?"

"Yeah, ever since Pre-K."

"So what's wrong with becoming romantically involved with each other?"

Kim was shocked with the direct nature of the question. "Because we're _just _friends." She would have yelled it, but she didn't want to wake Ron.

"You're _obviously_ more than 'just friends'." Sean shot back. Kim started to argue, but he cut her off. "Think about it Possible, you spend almost all of your time together; going to school dances, movies, festivals, not to mention your 'hero' work. You know damn near everything about one another, including your faults, and you manage to function perfectly as a pair." He stopped talking when Ron suddenly shifted in his sleep. They both sat in silence for about ten seconds, until Ron began snoring again.

"Anyway," Sean continued. "Do you know why most relationships fail?"

"No." Kim responded.

"Because the couple fails to become compatable with each other. You see, most relationships began with physical attraction; you see a guy or girl who's relatively good looking and you decide to talk to them. After physical attraction, the couple moves into romance; this requires a little bit of compatibility and an ability to spend time together without driving each other crazy. Once these two steps are accomplished, you move into love; now true love is accomplished when both partners are able to understand and accept each other for who they really are, faults and all." Sean paused and looked over at Ron. "Usually relationships and marriages fail because one or both partner's have false expectations of what their relationship is all about. They enter into it expecting something that isn't there because they don't know everything about one another."

Kim sat silently and listened, although Sean could tell from her expression that her brain was deeply processing what he had to say. "You and Ron have a major advantage over most couples y'know."

"How's that?" The manner in which Kim asked was out of curiosity, rather than defiance.

"Because you've already got the compatibility part nailed. That's the hardest part Kim. With that handled, the rest is a piece of cake, trust me." Sean leaned back against the chair, satisfied with his words of wisdom.

"But…" Kim leaned in and lowered her voice, despite the fact that Ron was still under the covers snoring. "How do I know _he _even feels the same way I do?"

Sean's smile was the widest she had ever seen it. "Kim, you're forgetting that Stoppable and I were in the car together for almost sixteen hours yesterday." The realization of what he was implying hit Kim like a semi truck. "You think you're the first one I've talked to about this? Where do you think I got this impression in the first place? From one kiss?"

Kim's heart began to race. 'If what Sean says is true, then that means Ron…' She glanced over at the eighteen-year-old sleeping less than ten feet from her. This time she didn't care that Sean noticed her smiling.

"Well, now that I've resolved _that_ dilemma, why don't you try to get some sleep." He would have reminded her to consider what he had told her, but he could already tell that his words had gotten through successfully.

"Thank you." Kim's voice was warm and sincere.

"Glad to help." Sean smiled back, displaying a side of himself that Kim had no idea existed. "Now get to sleep, we wake up at 05:30."

Kim nodded and quietly headed back to bed. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

_- As always, reviews are appreciated. If you have any questions, I will try to answer them like I did at the top of this page. I will probably not have chapter seven up until mid next week._


	7. Chapter 7

_Once again, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review the story. I hope you're enjoying it so far._

_God-hand Number 7: Well, you're partially right. My department issues us a Smith and Wesson 5906 pistol and an AR-15 rifle. These belong to the individual officer, but are paid for and serviced on the department's tab. We are, however, permitted to carry a different type of sidearm that we pay for and service as long as the Chief of Police approves it and we are able to qualify at the range. After some research (And a few bad experiences with the 5906), I decided to switch to the Glock 22. It has served me well._

_captainkodak1, Classic Cowboy, and Skymouth: I'm glad you all found Sean's advice to Kim to be so 'on-target'. That speech (As well as a few other sub-plots in the story) is an adaptation of real events that I have experienced. My fiancée and I went through a situation very similar to Kim and Ron's (Long-time friendship to romantic involvement) shortly after high school. One day the idea of us dating was brought up by some of the other officers during a conversation and our sergeant gave us both the 'compatibility' speech. After a few sleepless nights I thought 'What the hell' and the rest is obvious (The wedding is in March). I guess the slight personal familiarity is one of the reasons we both got hooked on the show in the first place._

And now, on with the story.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

_Super 8 Hotel  
__Oelwein, Iowa – June 5 05:25_

"C'mon Possible, rise and shine."

"Mmmmpf…" Kim rolled to her side and pulled the blanket in closer to her body. Sean looked down at the sleeping girl and sighed before trying once again to rouse her.

"I'm serious Kim, don't make me drag you outta there." His voice was harsh, yet easygoing: his gruff exterior slowly wearing down having spent two days with the teens.

"Mmm…jus' five more minutes daddy." Kim mumbled, pulling the covers over her head.

"She's like this every morning." Ron commented from his seat in front of the TV. "The only way she manages to get up for school is because her parents disconnected the snooze button on her alarm."

Sean looked down at Kim's blanket cocoon, shook his head in frustration, and turned to Ron. "Fine then, how do _you _suggest we get her up? There's an ice machine around the corner," Sean announced, loud enough for Kim to hear. "We could just pour a bucket of ice on her." He glanced over to see if his threat had any effect, but Kim still refused to rise.

"Here, allow me." Ron said standing up and walking to the foot of her bed. In one swift movement, he yanked the covers off of her and jumped up onto the bed. "**C'mon KP! Get up! Get up! Get up! Get up…"** He shouted at his friend while bouncing up and down on the mattress. Finally, unable to ignore the lack of warm blankets and repetitive bouncing, Kim rose stubbornly and looked around the now lit hotel room.

"Oh good, you're up." Sean said sarcastically. She shot him an angry glance before turning to Ron and playfully pushing him off the bed.

"Gee, thanks for the gentle wake-up guys." She spoke in a tired and raspy voice, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey," Sean responded. "I gave you _two_ gentle wake-up attempts. You're just lucky Ron stepped up, if he hadn't you'd be swimming in ice right now." Somehow, Kim didn't doubt that for a second. "Go take a shower," Sean gestured towards the bathroom. "If you hurry we should have enough time to stop by a Denny's or something before we have to be at the meeting place.

Kim just grumbled as she grabbed a clean pair of clothes and headed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

"She is _so_ not a morning person." Ron laughed, returning to his spot in front of the TV. Sean just chuckled, securing his gun in its holster and closing up his bag.

* * *

"So why is the NSA involved in this rescue mission anyway?" Kim asked as they waited for their breakfast to arrive. She was back to her normal alert self, having taken a hot shower to wake up.

"The NSA's been keeping a close eye on every known domestic-terrorist organization since September 11th. They more or less act as the 'information gatherers' while the FBI and other federal agency's act as the enforcers. This is mainly because the NSA is able to…um, _obtain_ certain bits of information about the groups and their intentions that we may have a hard time doing…well, legally at least." The way Sean worded his last sentence gave Kim a slight chill: the image of a dark-suited government agent holding a pair of sparking jumper cables and grinning evilly suddenly found its way into her head.

"And why do we need to change cars?" Ron asked. "I like your car, it's cool looking and has a comfortable interior."

"Well, we want to go as unnoticed as possible once we get close to our destination." Sean glanced out the window at his car parked in the lot. "I don't know about you two, but I kinda think that a gray Crown Victoria with government plates and enough antennas to contact Mars tends to stand out pretty easily in a rural farming community." Kim and Ron both nodded.

"Hmm, good point." Ron observed. "Those lights behind the grill are pretty obvious as well."

"But you don't know who the NSA is sending?" Kim asked nervously, getting back to her original question.

"No," Sean paused. "But I know Sue. She won't send us anyone but the best."

* * *

It was a few minutes before seven when Sean pulled the car to a stop in front of the meeting place. They all got out and surveyed their surroundings.

He had turned off the main road several miles back and traveled along a winding dirt trail before pulling off in front of an old abandoned barn. Next to the structure, Kim noticed there was two old picnic tables lined up facing a large dirt barrier that was very obviously man-made. It reminded her very much of what a shooting range might look like.

"So where's the NSA agent?" Ron asked innocently.

"He should be here any minute now." Sean reassured the two.

**- TWENTY MINUTES LATER -**

Ron picked up a small rock and absently tossed it against the side of the old barn, watching as it hit the ground with a miniature 'thud'. Kim was sitting next to him on the picnic table, glancing nervously at her watch every few seconds. Sean meanwhile, was leaning against the side of his car, staring obsessively at the point where the road they had entered on came into view around the corner. With a frustrated sigh, he gave up and walked over to where Kim and Ron were sitting.

As he sat down, Kim shot him an annoyed glance. "_He should be here any minute now._" She recited in a mocking tone. "So Sean, where _is_ the agent?"

"Shut up." Sean mumbled back at her. "Gee, thanks Sue…thank you very _fucking_ much." He thought out load. "I ask you to send me someone who's got their shit together and you dispatch some retard with no sense of time or direction."

"Some retard?" A female voice responded from the barn behind them. "What a terrible thing to say."

The three stood and turned simultaneously to face the person who had emerged from the barn. Sean's face turned into an excited grin when he recognized the woman standing in front of them; Kim and Ron, on the other hand, stared in disbelief.

Kim couldn't believe what she was seeing. The woman in front of them had a mischievous grin on her face that was the mirror image of Sean's trademark smirk. She wore camouflage BDU trousers and a pair of black combat boots. Tucked into her pants was a green t-shirt with a picture of a military rifle and the inscription '_AK-47. For when you absolutely, positively, have to kill every motherfucker in the room.' _Her long black hair was tied into a neat ponytail to reveal her lightly tanned face. Even without her trademark jumpsuit or green-tinted skin, there wasn't any doubt in Kim's mind who the woman was.

"_Shego!_" Ron growled, dropping into a fighting stance. The raven-haired woman just raised her hands and laughed, Sean chuckled as well.

"Relax Stoppable," Shego responded in her usual mocking tone. "I'm not here to fight…well not _you_ at least."

"**It's a trap!**" Ron shouted as he looked back and forth between Kim's archrival and Sean; unable to determine which one was the bigger threat. Kim meanwhile stood frozen, trying to fully process the image in front of her.

"Settle down Ron," Sean commanded in an annoyed tone. "I told you two about my friend in the NSA." He gestured towards Shego. "This is Agent Susan Gonzales, National Security Agency." The woman reached into her back pocket and removed a pair of credentials similar to the one Sean had showed them when he first introduced himself several days earlier.

Ron looked uncomfortably at Kim, trying to read her opinion of the situation. She stood frozen for several seconds before she was finally able to regain control. Calmly, she walked up to the now slightly apprehensive woman and extended her hand.

"Shego," Kim spoke in a steady and secure voice. "It's nice to see that you're on our side for this." The woman reluctantly took her hand and shook it.

"Uh, no problem, it's my job."

"B-but…she's a…I mean…" Ron started to argue, but quickly gave up. "Ugh, never mind."

Sean watched cautiously as Kim greeted Shego and turned to return to her now utterly confused friend. He was half expecting Kim to spin around and throw a quick jab at the female agent; but when it became apparent that it was not going to happen, he cleared his throat and spoke. "Well…that was surprisingly pleasant. Uh…why don't we all have a seat and take a look at the info Susan has to share with us?"

"No problem," Shego responded. "Let me just grab my folder from the car. She turned and re-entered the barn as Sean, Kim, and Ron walked over to the nearest table.

* * *

"So…um, how long have you been a…y'know…" Ron was still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that the woman he and Kim (Well, mostly Kim) had fought on an almost weekly basis, was a government agent.

"A federal agent?" Shego supplied. "Since before you two first met me."

"And Drakken?" Kim asked.

"Lipsky," Shego chuckled when she mentioned his name. "No, he's for real…pretty much harmless, but real none the less."

"Harmless?" Kim asked doubtfully, remembering the many times the blue-skinned mad scientist had attempted, unsuccessfully, to conquer the world.

"C'mon Kimmie," Shego responded in a patronizing tone. "His arch-nemesis is a high school cheerleader and her slacker-sidekick. His plans for world conquest involve over the top radical ideas like covering Wisconsin in cheese, or…"She began to laugh as she remembered his many failed attempts. "…Or how about _stealing the world's oxygen supply_, that was a good one."

"Not to mention that his 'partner in crime' is an undercover NSA agent." Sean offered,a hint of genuine amusement in his voice.

"But why?" Ron asked, trying to understand what he was being told. "Why work undercover with him if he's just a harmless idiot?"

"Because it allowed me to build a reputation and it opened the door for me to get information on other, more dangerous terrorist organizations. That's how I got my info on _The New Order_." The dark-haired agent answered, waving the folder in front of her as proof. "Now, any other questions? Or can we get down to business?"

"Oh no, whatever you feel is best…_Susan_" Kim responded, putting a mocking emphasis on the agent's real name. Shego raised her fist, which erupted into a familiar green fireball.

"Watch it princess," She growled. "Not _everything_ was fake." Sean began laughing.

"Sue…the info?" The female agent allowed the fire to extinguish and dropped the file on the table.

"Right," She eyed the two teens cautiously and turned to Sean. "Um, how much do they know?"

"They've both been given complete access." Sean responded. "I've told them everything _I_ know."

"_Everything_?" She shot Kim a worried glance. "Even…y'know, her father?"

"Yeah," Sean stated grimly. "She knows about his work with USAAMRID."

"Shit…" Shego suddenly gave the teen a sympathetic look. "I gotta say, I admire your strength Kim."

"Thanks." Kim replied with a smile, realizing that this was the first nice thing that Shego had _ever_ said to her.

"Don't mention it." Shego opened the folder and handed everyone several items: a few maps, and several black and white aerial photographs. "_The New Order's _compound is located about an hour west of here; just outside of Edgewood, Iowa: right on the border of Bixby State Park. As you can see from the map and photos, their compound is _very_ isolated. There's only one road entering the property, so driving in is out of the question; they'd know we were there before we even got close. Fortunately however, the rest of the compound is surrounded by thick forest. This should allow us to walk in through the State Park and arrive at the compound undetected."

"What about patrols?" Sean asked.

"They have a few patrols that monitor the perimeter and surrounding area, but they shouldn't be a problem to avoid." Shego responded. "This is also going to be a night op, so we'll have the dark to aid our infiltration. They do have s_ome_ night vision equipment, but it's mostly just commercial shit."

"How about defenses?" Sean inquired. "My reports mentioned _possible_ automatic weapons and explosives, but I've got a feeling that's an understatement."

"Understatement is putting it lightly." Shego said; her voice filled with concern. "This is some of the heaviest firepower I've seen for a group this size; we're talking factory full-autos here, not sporting rifles with Hellfire triggers or filed sear-springs. They've got assault weapons, machine guns, claymore mines, and hand grenades: military issue by the way, not your typical Molotov cocktails or black powder-filled Budweiser cans. I've also heard rumors about some anti-tank weapons being stored on-site, possibly British LAW-80's or Soviet-surplus RPG-7's."

"Jesus Christ!" Sean muttered. "They've got more god-damn firepower than the fucking _CSA _did." Shego was the only one of the group familiar enough with Sean to know that he tended to swear even more than usual when he was nervous.

"They're also much more violent and unstable than the _CSA_ was."The NSA agent added, remembering the well-known 1985 standoff between HRT and the heavily armed white hate group _The Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord_ near Mountain Home, Arkansas. The standoff had lasted almost a month before the _CSA _surrendered peacefully. "There'll be no negotiating our way out of this one, and we stand no chance of going head-to-head with them on our own. Our only hope is to enter quickly and silently, grab Dr. Possible, and be out of there before they know something's happened."

"What about the virus?" Kim asked. She was glad her father was the priority, but she also remembered he had been kidnapped so _The New Order_ could get a hold of the Blackpox bacteria.

"Our only concern is your father Kim." Sean answered. "We need to go in quietly and remove him from the area. Once that's been accomplished, HRT, State Police, and Iowa National Guard units are gonna hit the compound full force."

"You see," Shego said, taking the opportunity to elaborate for the two teens. "This is a bit of a catch-22 situation. If a small team like us goes in to rescue your dad _and_ recover the virus, we'll be torn apart by the sheer firepower. At the same time, if a large strike force goes in, they could stand up against the group's defenses, but the collateral damage may very easily result in your dad getting killed in the cross-fire."

"Makes sense." Kim said: mostly to reassure Ron, who was still slightly apprehensive about the whole situation.

"Anyway," Shego continued. "Myself and Sean are going to serve as the primary operatives in this operation. We're the ones with the proper training, so we'll be the ones to actually enter the building and recover your dad. We want you two to serve as cover and fire-support; make sure nobody comes up behind us." She paused for a moment to allow Kim and Ron to process the information. "As I said earlier, we want to be in and out as quickly as possible; getting into a firefight with these people will only end badly for us. This is gonna be about speed and lethal efficiency, not heroics, you got that?"

"Got it." Kim nodded.

"No prob." Ron said, though slightly more uncertainty than his friend.

"Good," She turned to face Sean. "Well that's all I've got to say. I've got the weapons and equipment in the car. You gonna run 'em through some training and familiarization drills?"

"Oh yeah." Sean replied, his evil smirk creeping its way back onto his face.

"This ought to be interesting." Shego grinned at the two teens.

* * *

Kim and Ron both looked on as Sean and Shego returned from the barn carrying several large duffle bags. Sean set his bag on the table in front of the two and removed two small-sized hard plastic cases, as well as several boxes of ammunition and two sets of eye and ear protection.

"Before we get started, do either of you have any firearms experience?" Ron proudly raised his hand. "That's _real_ firearms experience by the way, not video games or pellet guns." His hand quickly shot back down. "Ok then, let's start from square one."

Sean gestured for the teens to sit and placed one of the cases in front of each of them, opening them as he did so; inside the foam-lined case was a handgun, user's manual, cleaning kit, and two spare magazines. He then removed his own identical gun from its holster and unloaded it; dropping the magazine and locking the slide, making sure to catch the chambered round as it was ejected.

"This is going to be your sidearm for this mission," He began. "It's a Glock Model 22 .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol. It has an overall capacity of sixteen rounds when fully loaded: that's fifteen in the magazine, and one in the chamber." He double-checked that the open chamber was clear before pulling back on the slide and allowing it to snap forward with a sharp 'clack'. He then set his gun on the table in front of him and continued. "Now before we start shooting, there are four fundamental firearm safety rules you need to know…"

"Oh yeah," Ron interrupted eagerly. "I know those."

Sean and Shego stared at the blond teen. "Ok, what are they?" Sean asked skeptically.

"Um let's see," He began, counting off on his fingers. "_Number one_; all guns are always loaded. Uh, _number two_; never let the muzzle cover anything you aren't willing to shoot." He paused for a moment to think as the two federal agents stared at him with their jaws hanging. "Oh yeah, _number three_; keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target. And _number four_; be sure of your target and what's behind it." He grinned proudly at the surprised look on both agents' faces.

"That's…absolutely right." Sean answered, dumbfounded. "Stoppable, how the _hell_ do you know that?"

"SWAT 3." Ron responded.

"What?"

"SWAT 3," He repeated. "It's a first-person shooting game for the PC. You play as a member of the LAPD SWAT team. One of the training missions is a shooting house and those four rules are posted right next to the front door." Sean groaned and dropped his head into his hand while Shego tried to hold back her laughter. "What?" Ron shrugged his shoulders in confusion.

"Nothing…" Sean mumbled before raising his head to look at Kim. "Did you get all that?"

"Yeah, no big." She recited the rules back to them, just to ease Sean's apprehension.

"Good, remember those rules, especially rule number three." He picked up his gun again. "The Glock was developed specifically as a combat pistol, and as a result it doesn't have a manual safety device. This means that it's always ready to fire, so when you're sights aren't on target, I want to see your finger clear of the trigger." He held the gun out and showed them how he was holding it: his index finger outside of the trigger guard, pointed forward along the base of the slide. "You got that?" The teens both nodded. "Good, then let's get the party started. Grab your guns, magazines, and eye and ear protection and follow me." He grabbed four boxes of .40-caliber ammo and headed up range where Shego was currently setting up several silhouette targets.

"Uh Sean," Ron asked, causing the agent to turn. "What about Rufus?"

Sean's expression didn't change as he eyed the small pink rodent and responded. "No Ron, the rat doesn't get a gun." Ron blushed slightly out of embarrassment.

"Oh no, I didn't…ear plugs, I meant ear plugs."

"Oh," He thought for a moment. "You'd better have him stay back here. It's pretty open out here, so the noise should dissipate."

"Sorry buddy," Ron said, lifting his companion from his pocket. "Looks like you're gonna have to stay here."

"Awww…ok" The rodent squeaked before jumping onto the table. "Bye bye."

Ron turned and jogged up range to join the others on the firing line.

* * *

_June 5 – 11:45_

"**GUN!**" Sean barked from behind the firing line. Kim pulled her gun from the tactical holster attached to her hip and took quick aim; firing three rounds into the center of the silhouette target, followed by a double-tap to the head.

Done firing, she lowered the Glock into a low-ready position as instructed by Sean earlier; the barrel of the pistol slowly sweeping the area in front of her for any additional threats the agent might see fit to throw at her. In addition to all of his other accomplishments, Sean had also turned out to be a certified range-master and firearms instructor.

"**SECOND SUSPECT ON YOUR RIGHT!**" Without any hesitation Kim brought the Glock back up and leveled the sights on an identical silhouette target to the right, firing three rounds before the slide locked to the rear. After over four hours of repetitive drilling she no longer found herself having to think about what she needed to do. Acting on pure instinct and muscle-memory, she yanked the empty magazine from the smoking pistol and retrieved a full one from its pouch on the opposite side of her gun belt, making sure to slam it into the gun with enough force to release the slide-lock mechanism (A quick and effective maneuver Sean had showed her and Ron early on) and finishing with the double-tap to the head. She once again went into low-ready and waited for his next instructions.

"**Alright, all suspects are down. Safety/holster your firearm and step back from the firing line.**" Kim returned her Glock to its holster and walked back to where Sean, Shego, and Ron were standing, removing her earplugs and placing them in her pocket.

"Nice job Kim," Shego commented. "You're getting pretty good, almost as good as Stoppable here." Much to everyone's surprise and disbelief, Ron had turned out to be an exceptional shooter; acing every challenge Sean could throw at him. It was a talent Sean had attributed to 'Excessive video gaming and fine muscle control' and one that left Kim with a slight twinge of jealousy, especially after an earlier incident when she accidentally pulled the trigger while holstering her gun: the bullet missing her own foot by about four inches.

Sean walked up and examined Kim's targets before returning and giving both teens a satisfied nod. "Well I'd say you've both gotten more than enough experience with the Glock." He glanced at his watch. "Tell you what, let's head back into town and grab some lunch before we break out the rifles." His offer was approved in the form of two tired and _very_ hungry nods.

* * *

_- Just so you don't get confused, Sean is the only one of the three who will be addressing Shego by her real name (Susan or Sue), Kim and Ron will still refer to her as 'Shego'. Why? I don't know...just seems to fit, let me know if you disagree and I'll consider changing my mind. I hope Shego's arrival didn't seem too random, I felt like including another familiar character to the mission and pictured her as the perfect candidate. _

_As always, reviews are appreciated and chapter eight should be up within the next two weeks; we've got part two of the firearms training, an interesting look into Sean's past, and Kim and Ron finally get some time alone to talk about what happened on the side of the road._


	8. Chapter 8

**On Saturday February 5, 2005, my department experienced it's first non-domestic homicide in almost eight years. Because I was the responding officer, I have been allowed the responsibility of working with local and county investigators on the case. As a result, I am putting all non-work related activities on an indefinite hold until the suspect(s) are apprehended and all evidence is properly processed and prepared for trial. I hope for the sake of the victims and their families that an arrest is made within the week and we are all able to return to our normal operations. I apologize for the inconvenience, but this obviously takes priority over my story.**

**- recon228

* * *

****Just wanted to let everyone know that yesturday (February 10), our investigation ended with the arrest of two individuals and the recovery of an object believed to be the murder weapon (Lab results still pending). While the case will not be 'officially closed' for some time, everyone has been returned to his or her regular shift.**

**I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude to everyone for their patience and understanding during the investigation. I plan to have chapter 8 up in a few days.**

**- recon228**

**PS: I apparently bumped my story down into the PG-13 category by mistake. I considered leaving it there, but I feel that with the amount of language that has been (and will continue to be) used, it belongs in the R section. Feel free to let me know your opinion on the matter.

* * *

_Hey all, just wanted to thank everyone again for their patience this past week and answer some reviews._**

_Godhand's Number: Thanks for the input about the Shego/Susan issue. I **do** know of at least two other officers who have taken a shot at fan fiction, although I don't know whether they were KP-related. One of our Sergeants is also currently working with an editor on a non-fiction novel about his involvement with the Green River murders. A lot of us find writing to be a beneficial stress-reliever (plus the MDC's in our patrol cars have_ Microsoft Word_, for those occasional slow shifts). As for justice being served...well, given the fact that it was a double-homicide, it may be about two to three years before the suspects go to trial. I'm pretty confident, however, that the evidence and testimony recovered will ensure they get what they deserve._

_aberaham tulip: Thanks for the complement on Ron's untapped talent. I've gotten the same impression from his character: 'buffoonish' at first glance, yet fully capable of handling himself if the situation arises. In general, I have tried to capture the emotions that the 'Disney' Kim and Ron would be feeling in this situation._

_ChooseLife: I'm pretty much the 'regular' type of cop. It's a pretty small department, so there aren't as many special-assignment positions as may be found in a larger metropolitan police force. Thanks for the rating imput as well._

_It should become pretty apparent early on in this chapter, but the italicized sections represent flashbacks. There are also a few segments that include accurate police radio transmissions. I feel I've done an adequate job of deciphering them the best I can, but if it's still hard to understand, **I've added a glossary at the end of the chapter**. With that said, enjoy chapter eight.

* * *

_

_**Chapter Eight**_

_Luby's Café  
__Oelwein, Iowa – June 5 12:15_

'It's funny how TV and movies never mention the little details like these.' Kim thought as she looked down at her raw and powder-burnt hands: the result of over four hours of shooting and loading ammo into magazines. 'Not to mention the fact that those earplugs didn't do a damned bit of good.' She added as the throbbing behind her eyes intensified. She looked across the padded booth at Ron, who was resting his elbows on the table and rubbing his forehead with the tips of his fingers, and a smile spread across her face. 'At least _Mr. Super Shooter _is suffering along with me.' She didn't realize she was staring until Ron spoke.

"You alright Kim?"

"Hmm? Oh…yeah, well…about as well as can be expected I guess." Much to her surprise she actually managed to avoid blushing, even though she was positive Ron had noticed her staring.

"Are ya sure?" He pressed. "Cause you acted a little…strange earlier." Kim gave her friend an aggravated look.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean Ron?"

"Well…back at the farm, when Shego arrived, you responded kinda…y'know…"

"I responded in a manner I felt was appropriate." Kim interrupted. "Would you have preferred I _attack_ her?"

"No, I'm just…" He paused for a moment. "I'm just worried about you, that's all."

"…I know," Kim sighed. "And I appreciate your concern, I really do. You're doing the best you can to make this easier for me. And we _will_ get through this. The best thing for me to do right now is to just focus on what has to be done and push my emotions aside. After that I can go home and have a nice big nervous breakdown." She glanced out the window toward the small drugstore that Sean and Shego had headed into when they first arrived and a small grin flashed across her face.

"What's so funny?" Ron inquired.

"Is it just me, or do Sean and Shego seem to be y'know…_more_ than just co-workers?" She looked over at Ron who was smirking as well.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed a vibe from them as well. They sure do have matching personalities don't they?"

"That's for sure. And how about that shirt?" She snorted, referring to the design on their former adversary's shirt. "Where do you even buy something that blatantly offensive anyway?"

"I have no idea," Ron laughed. "But I'd say it sum's her character up pretty well, don't you think?"

"Yeah."

* * *

"_S'cuse me? M-Mr. Policeman?" Sean turned his attention away from the blond-haired teen sitting across from him in the booth, focusing instead on the young girl standing nervously in front of their table._

'_Oh great…here we go again.' He thought. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate all the kind words he was receiving from the public, he just felt…guilty: he felt guilty that **they** were the ones to give their lives, and yet **he** was the one getting the thanks._

"_Um…" The young girl hesitated, glancing nervously behind her toward a middle-aged woman, most likely her mother, who was watching them from her place in line. "I…just wanted to thank you for protecting us…and, um…I'm sorry that your friends in New York got hurt." The young Reserve Officer forced a smile and nodded._

"_What's your name honey?" The blonde Reserve sitting across from him inquired._

"_Samantha."_

"_Well thank you Samantha," She spoke in a warm voice. "I…we appreciate that." The girl smiled before turning and shyly running back to her mother._

"_Y'know," Sean sighed, looking down to make sure the black mourning-band was still in its proper place: stretching across the_ State of California_ seal on the face of his badge. "I don't know how much more of this empathy crap I can take. Earlier, I actually had a guy thank me for my 'heroic service' right **after** I issued him a 275 dollar citation. I mean…I never thought I'd say this, but what ever happened to people just saying 'Fuck you pig'?"_

"_Well," The blond Officer responded. "Times have changed Sean. **Hell**, two weeks ago the entire nation watched as those towers collapsed on live TV! People are scared and angry, they just want to be able to do something, even if it's nothing more than a simple 'thank you'." She cocked her eyebrows as her voice took on a mocking tone. "Why? **Big bad Sean's** afraid to let down his 'hard-ass cop' demeanor and show some compassion?"_

"_A **little** bit…yeah." He retorted jokingly._

"_Well, you'd better get used to it buddy. Whether you like it or not, the public sees us as heroes now."_

"_That's just it Kate," Sean replied in a dismissive tone. "Me…you, we're not heroes. We're just a couple of high school kids doing our job. If anyone should be portrayed as a hero it should be Susan, she's the one skipping school to help with recovery operations at Ground Zero." He frowned suddenly, as if he had just remembered something important. "Speaking of which, I wonder when she gets back? We've got that History paper due Tuesday, and Mrs. Wood is such a bitch about late work…" He trailed off as a large grin spread across Kate's face. "What?"_

"_There's your answer right there." She stated, pointing toward the front of the restaurant. Sean turned his head just in time to see the raven-haired girl walk through the front doors and stroll swiftly towards them._

"_Sean! Kate! I figured I'd find you two here." Susan said, as she dragged a chair from a nearby empty table and took a seat at the front of their booth._

"_Yeah well…this **is** the department's unofficial sub-station y'know." Sean replied sarcastically: sweeping his hand across the inside of the restaurant. He didn't bother to ask her about New York, he knew there was nothing positive to be said about it anyway._

"_No kidding," Susan's voice took on a mocking tone. "Hey, shouldn't you two be out fighting crime or something?" Kate flipped her the bird._

"_You see!" Sean laughed. "**That's** what I want to hear from the public!" Susan gave him a questioning look._

"_Long story." Kate informed the girl. "So, how are you holding up?" She asked in a serious tone._

"_Oh y'know…" Susan sighed. "About as well as I can be, considering what I've been doing for the past eight days." She paused as a wicked grin slowly crawled its way onto her face. "Although…my mood **did** improve pretty quickly when I heard the news about you two."_

"_Oh yeah?" Sean asked with a straight face. "And uh, what news would that be?"_

_She gave him a cold stare before speaking. "Yeah right! Don't you dare try to deny it Sean, I've already confirmed through a very reliable source that you two are 'officially dating'."_

"_Alright fine," Sean responded casually, reaching across the table and placing his hand on top of Kate's. "In that case…I **won't** deny it." Susan stared at the couple open-mouthed before her face formed into a delighted smile._

"_It's about damn time! Do you know how long I've been waiting for you two idiots to open your eyes and realize what you've got with each other?" She held her hand up in front of her face; her thumb and index finger about three centimeters apart. "I was **this** close to dating him myself Kate, just to knock some sense and awareness into you."_

"_Really?" Sean asked, intrigued._

"_Hey!" Kate reached across the booth and smacked him playfully. The three teens broke into laughter for several seconds before Sean spoke up._

"_Y'know Sue, we just got our food. If you want to order something, we can wait..."_

_As if on queue, the radio mic clipped to Sean's collar crackled to life.** "25R9, do you have an ETA to clear your Code 7 for a 10-33 Audible?"**_

"_Or not." Kate mumbled. Sean rolled his eyes before keying the mic and speaking in his 'professional' tone of voice._

"_25R9 myself and Robert 10 are 10-8, go with the 10-33." He gave Susan an apologetic glance and mumbled "Residential Alarm"._

"_**Copy 25R9 and 25R10 are 10-8. It's gonna be a 10-33 Audible at 42 Rowe Ln. cross of Hidden Valley Rd. Coming in via**_** ADT Monitoring_ as a rear window glass-break, no subscriber info available at this time."_**

"_R9 copy," Sean replied. "Route the info to my MDC and show myself and R10 49." He wrapped up his hamburger and grabbed two bags from the counter before turning to Susan. "Sorry Sue gotta roll."_

"_No problem, just give me a call when you two get off. We gotta go celebrate."_

"_You got it!" Kate yelled back as she followed Sean out the door to their parked cruisers.

* * *

_

"Sean…Sean? **Sean!**" The FBI agent snapped out of his daydream and turned to find Susan staring at him with a slightly worried look. "You ok?"

"Yeah…just uh, thinking about stuff." He replied.

"Alright just checking," She could tell by the look on his face prior to her interruption what 'stuff' he was thinking about. "I checked out already, lets head over to the restaurant."

"Thanks Sue…you got _extra-strength_ right?" She reached into the bag and held out the bottle for him to read. "Cool, now those two can't say I never did anything for them."

"Compassionate as always I see." She joked.

"Like you're any better." He shot back.

* * *

Kim and Ron both looked up as Sean and Shego slid into the booth. 

"Here," Sean said, placing the bottle of aspirin on the table. "Take three of these, they'll take care of that headache I'm sure you both have."

"Thanks." Kim said, opening the bottle and downing three capsules before passing it across the booth to Ron. "We ordered some cheeseburgers for you like you asked."

"Thanks."

"Hey Sean?" Ron spoke up. "I was wondering…"

"For the last time Stoppable," Sean groaned. "You're _not_ getting an automatic weapon. I don't care how good you are, federal regulations are federal regulations. You and Kim are both getting semi-auto Bushmasters, _end of story_."

"I _wasn't_ gonna ask that." Ron said defiantly, although in truth that _was_ going to be his next question. "I was just wondering…um, are you and Shego, I mean Susan, like…" He paused as he tried to formulate the right words.

"More than just friends?" Shego supplied with an evil grin.

"…" Ron and Kim both blushed slightly.

"Yeah, we are." Sean answered casually.

"Really…so how long have you two been together?" Kim inquired.

"A little over two years," Shego said. "Although we've actually known each other since elementary school." Kim suddenly realized why Sean had so much first-hand knowledge about her and Ron's 'situation', not that she was about to point it out though.

"You don't have to worry about this affecting the mission Kim." Sean reassured her. "This isn't our first operation together. We keep it strictly business while in the field."

"I know." Kim replied. "I was thinking about something else."

"Well since I answered _your_ question Ron," Sean said. "I've got a question of my own to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Your pal there," The agent continued, pointing to Rufus. "He's a naked mole rat, right?"

"Yeah?" Ron replied, not quite sure what Sean was getting at.

"…How the hell is he able to talk and understand what we say? I mean…he's a _rat_. Has he always been able to do that, or did you rescue him from a science lab or something?" Sean's question was met with three confused and agitated stares (four if you included Rufus himself). He waited a few moments for a response; but when it became apparent he wasn't going to receive one, he sighed in defeat. "Never mind…lets just eat and head back out."

* * *

"_Did I ever tell you I've got an uncle who's an animator for Disney?" Kate asked Sean before biting into her hamburger. After responding to the alarm on Rowe Ln., the two Reserve Officers had been dispatched to a traffic accident which ended up taking over two hours to clear and had resulted in the arrest of **both** drivers for DUI. Now, armed with their long-cold hamburgers, the two teens were back at the station: arguing over whether to watch cartoons on Disney Channel, or another re-run of_ Law and Order_ on TNT._

"_No," Sean responded. Already finished with his burger, he took the opportunity to turn to TNT. "Has he done anything I would recognize?"_

"_Well not for Disney, but he did work on_ Clerks: The Animated Series_."_

"_Oh really?" He said, standing up and walking over to the fridge in the corner of the station's break room. "Chris' got those on DVD. I've only seen part of one episode, but it looked pretty funny."_

"_Yeah well, he and his crew just got the contract to create a new Disney Channel cartoon and he told me a little about the basic storyline they've come up with. I forget what it's gonna be called, but it sounds like it might be pretty successful, it's kinda like a Disney version of Laura Croft; y'know, with a strong ass-kicking female as the main character."_

"_Hmm," Sean replied; feigning interest as he opened the fridge and removed a can of soda. "Sounds interesting, when's it supposed to come out?"_

"_I think they're aiming for next year sometime, but I'm not positive."_

"_I wonder if it'll get much of a following? There's not many cartoons out now with strong female leads…" He stopped as his stomach let out a deep unsettled growl. "Aw man…I knew we should have thrown those burgers out. Fast food is **not** meant to go more than fifteen minutes between production and consumption."_

"_I ate it too, and I'm feeling fine." Kate giggled._

"_Laugh all you want woman," He shot back, heading towards the bathroom. "But there's only **one** bathroom in this place, and **I'm** going to be in it!"_

_Sean approached the bathroom door and, finding it closed, glanced back at his girlfriend with a nervous look on his face. "Hey Kate…is anyone in here?" She couldn't help but laugh. Sean had been nervous, no **paranoid**, of using the bathroom in the station ever since he accidentally walked in on the Chief of Police's sixteen year old daughter three weeks earlier. He had knocked prior to entering, but because she was listening to music on her headphones, she didn't hear him until it was too late._

"_You could always try knocking." The blond laughed._

_Sean gave Kate a dirty look before turning, banging on the bathroom door, and shouting, "**Police officer, search warrant!**" When no one answered, he cautiously opened the door, gave her a thumbs-up, and went inside._

"_One of a kind that boy." Kate muttered happily to herself before turning the TV back to Disney. One thing was certain: she definitely loved cartoons more than he did, though he was slowly starting to come around._

_Sean hadn't been in the bathroom more than thirty seconds when the radio once again came to life. "**25R9, 10-63 on a 10-33 Audible.**"_

"_God damn it!" He yelled through the door._

"_Want me to tell them you're in your office?" Kate laughed._

"_It's **not** funny!" He yelled back from his 'office'._

"_Relax diarrhea-boy, I'll take it." The blonde yelled back before keying her shoulder mic. "25R10, Robert 9 is 10-7 for the next few minutes, go ahead and route me the 10-33."_

"_If it's at Rowe Ln. again I swear to god I'm gonna fire-bomb something! We've already been there **twice** today!"_

"_**25R10 copy, it's gonna be a 10-33 Audible at 42 Rowe Ln…**"_

"_Son of a bitch!" Kate laughed._

"_25R10 49," She replied into the mic before yelling to her boyfriend, "Don't crap out any vital organs Sean."_

"_Yeah-yeah, just call me if you need any assistance." He yelled back.

* * *

_

_June 5 – 13:20_

"Alright," Sean announced as he and Shego once again returned from the barn with armloads of equipment. "As before, the same four safety rules apply." He placed his bag on the table and removed two compact assault rifles: placing one in front of each teen.

"M-16's?" Ron asked, his mouth almost watering. "I thought you said we don't get automatic weapons?"

"First off," Sean corrected him. "These are semi-automatic, just like your Glocks. And second, they're not M-16's; that's a military designation, and these aren't military, they're civilian models."

"Wait, you mean these kind of weapons are available to _civilians_?" Kim asked stunned.

"Yup," Sean replied sarcastically. "Apparently the NRA and the Gun Lobby feel that when our founding fathers drafted the Second Amendment, they intended for it to include modified military rifles and high-capacity magazines." Kim shook her head in disgust.

"So what is it then…I mean, if it's not an M-16?" Ron inquired, examining the black rifle lying in front of him.

"It's a Bushmaster M4A2 Patrolman's Carbine." Sean said. "But we just refer to it as a Bushmaster for short." He reached into his bag and removed a third rifle: similar to Kim and Ron's, only with several obvious external modifications.

"Oh cool!" Ron cooed. "I call that one."

"Sorry Stoppable," The agent replied. "But this is _my_ baby. It's a Bushmaster M4A3 Government Carbine: it's essentially the same as yours, but with the added feature of full-auto fire capability." He held the rifle up to display its external features. "In addition to being a full-auto, it has a removable carrying handle which has allowed me to mount a _Trijicon ACOG TA01NSN Special Forces Sight_. I've also added a _B.M.A.S. Four-rail Forward Handguard_ and installed a _Surefire M900A Vertical Foregrip System_ and an infrared laser sight. The barrel has been modified to accept a quick-detach sound/flash suppressor as well."

Ron stared intently as Sean named off the various features of his rifle: ogling it like a high performance sports car. Kim, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less. A gun was a gun to her, as long as it helped get her father back safely it could have a damned _grenade launcher_ on it for all she cared.

"Now," Sean continued. "If there are no more questions, lets get to it."

* * *

_June 5 - 18:15_

"Well at least my head isn't pounding like it was earlier." Kim thought out loud. After almost five hours of practice, Sean had finally decided the two teens were properly trained and decided to call it a day.

"No kidding, plus these Bushmaster magazines are a lot easier to load than the Glock mags were; really made it easier on the fingers." Ron added: pulling back the T-shaped charging-handle on his rifle and checking for live rounds. Confirming that the gun was empty, he flipped it to 'Safe' and placed it into the padded case Sean had provided for both of them earlier.

"Alright," The FBI agent announced walking up to the two. "Here's the plan; Ron, you and Kim are gonna take my Crown Vic and head back to the hotel." He tossed the Ford's keys to Ron. "Susan and myself are gonna take the Jeep and pick up a pizza to bring back to the room."

"Cool," Ron said eying the keys in his hand. "I always wanted to drive a cop car." The two teens turned and started heading toward the unmarked sedan: weapon cases in hand.

"Hey Stoppable?" Ron turned back toward the agent, just as Shego emerged from the barn: having finished loading all of the gear except for Kim and Ron's weapons, which Sean had insisted they keep in their possession for the remainder of the operation.

"Yeah?"

"Don't dick around with the lights and siren. I don't want you two rolling Code 3 through Iowa in a government vehicle."

"Hey relax," He replied in his typical 'Ron' voice. "You can trust me."

"Not likely" Shego muttered to herself. As the teens pulled away down the dirt road, she walked up and placed her hand on the agent's shoulder. "Don't worry Sean," She reassured her boyfriend. "They're gonna do fine."

"I hope so Sue," Sean muttered. "I hope so." They turned to head to his car, but suddenly stopped as a familiar siren flared up nearby and continued for about twenty seconds before cutting off in the distance, Sean just shook his head and muttered, "Remind me to smack that little fucker when we get back."

* * *

_Super 8 Hotel  
__Oelwein, Iowa – June 5 19:00_

Kim emerged from the bathroom to find her friend once again parked in front of the television with Rufus asleep on the armrest. "Hey KP, _Fargo_ just started on HBO! You wanna watch?" _Fargo_ was one of Ron's favorite movies (why, Kim had no idea) and he often recited lines from memory.

"No thanks Ron," Kim responded. She was _not_ in the mood to watch a dark-comedy about a botched kidnapping. "I'm gonna double check that I've got everything in order for tomorrow night."

"Are ya sure?" He asked in a surprisingly well-done Minnesota accent. "Body in a wood chipper." Kim smiled. She couldn't help but envy Ron's humorous disposition. Here they were; in the Middle of Iowa, about to go up against the most dangerous villains (if you could even call them 'villains') they had ever faced, and yet he was still able to provide her with his usual level of 'Ron-shine'.

She sat down on the bed next to the black-canvas rifle case that contained the Bushmaster Sean had given her. She let a sigh creep its way out of her lungs as she unzipped the case and withdrew the assault rifle. 'Am I really prepared to do this?' She asked herself as her index finger traced along the Bushmaster logo, a coiled rattlesnake, printed on the receiver. She gripped the hard-plastic pistol grip and took quick aim at one of the pictures hanging on the wall: allowing her finger to creep over the trigger and depressed it slowly, flinching slightly as the rifle dry-fired with a muted 'click'. Lowering the rifle, she looked up and found Ron glancing over the top of his recliner with a worried look on his face.

"Ron," She asked, returning her gaze to the rifle lying across her lap. "How do you feel about the possibility of taking a human life?" The blond teen thought for a moment before answering.

"Well…I've never really thought about it until just now." He paused. "I guess if it comes down to it, I'm willing to…kill, if it's necessary to protect your father or us. I won't like it, but I'll do it if I have no choice." He paused again, looking at his friend with caring eyes. "How do you feel about it Kim?" The redhead took a deep breath.

"Well sitting here, I feel the same way you do about it. But out there, if I'm actually faced with the decision to shoot…I'm worried I may not be able to go through with it and I'll hesitate."

"You don't have to worry about that." Sean said as he and Shego (pizza in hand) closed the front door. "If you're faced with the need to use deadly force, which I hope you won't be, you won't hesitate."

"But…" Kim began: only to be interrupted by Shego.

"Sean's right Kim. You spent close to ten hours on the range today just to ensure you _won't_ hesitate." The teen gave her a slightly confused look. "The actual familiarization element was a major part of your training, this is true. But there was a reason we made you stand on the firing line and shoot on command, as opposed to just hours of free shooting."

"Let me ask you a question Kim," Sean said, jumping back into the conversation. "After a while, when I gave you the command to shoot, did you need to take any time to think about what needed to be done, or did you just act on reflex?"

"Um, reflex…I guess." Kim replied.

"It's no different when you're in the field; if someone shoots at you or poses an immediate threat to your safety you'll act on reflex, it's no different than on the range."

"Well, until it's all over at least." Shego added grimly.

"What do you mean by that?" Kim asked.

"I'm not gonna lie to you Kim," Sean said with a deep sigh. "The first time you take a human life…it really fucks with your mind. You'll find yourself asking questions like 'did I do the right thing, did I have to kill him?' But it's all a normal reaction and you get over it pretty quickly."

"Well that's reassuring…I think," Kim replied, placing her rifle back into its canvas case. "At least now I know I won't hesitate."

"You'll do fine," Sean reassured her. "You both will."

"Enough with the shooting and death already," Shego said, placing the extra-large pizza on the table. "Let's eat, I'm starvin'."

"Well isn't _this_ ironic," Ron thought out loud. "Me and Shego _actually_ agree on something."

"Yeah, before we get into that," Sean said, stepping between Ron and the pizza. "You and I need to have a little discussion about that siren I heard shortly after you two drove away."

"Uh-oh!" Rufus squeaked before taking refuge in Ron's cargo pocket.

* * *

"Where are you guys going?" Kim asked the two agents. After thoroughly chewing out Ron about his 'joy-ride' and finishing their pizza, Sean and Shego (well, mostly Shego) had changed into more casual clothes and were re-holstering their weapons. 

"C'mon Possible," Sean chided. "We don't actually have to be up and about 'til four pm tomorrow. We're gonna hit a bar…or five."

"You two are welcome to come with if you want." Shego offered.

"No thanks," Kim replied. "I don't drink."

"Suit yourself," Sean said, withdrawing several folded twenty-dollar bills from his jean pocket and offering them to Ron, who was once again seated in front of the TV. "Here's a hundred bucks; we'll probably be out until mid-morning, so feel free to do what you want…." When he slapped the cash into Ron's open hand, the teen noticed the presence of another item tucked into the wad. His cheeks turned a bright shade of crimson as he read the small square package and turned his gaze to the FBI agent standing over him. "Just don't do anything _too_ crazy." Sean added with a discreet wink. Ron quickly shoved the latex device into his pocket before Kim noticed.

On their way out the door, Sean paused and retrieved the Ford keys from the table, shooting Ron a bitter look as he placed them in his pocket. "I think I'll take these with me."

"Hey-hey, you practically _gave_ me permission when you told me _not_ to use the siren. It's reverse-psychology and you know it!" Ron replied defensively. Sean opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it and walked out after Shego.

* * *

For the first half-hour, the activity inside the hotel room remained relatively inactive: Ron flipped through the channels, absently searching for something mindless to watch, as Kim lay on the bed behind him, trying to build up the courage to do what she knew had to be done. 

'C'mon Possible, you can do this…just remember the advice your mom gave you about Josh…it's the same thing; deep breath, and take the plunge.' Her mind lectured.

'But what if Sean and I are majorly misinterpreting?' She argued back. 'What if he _doesn't_ feel the same way I do? Or what if he doesn't take me seriously and thinks it's just the stress talking?' She lay staring at the ceiling for several seconds before making up her mind.

"Aw fuck it." She whispered, taking a deep breath and sitting upright. "Hey Ron…um, can I talk to you about something?" Ron turned off the TV and took a seat next to Kim on the bed, his worried look back with a vengeance.

"Of course Kim," He reassured his friend. "I'm here for you, you know that."

"…" She took another deep breath. "It's…about what happened on the side of the road yesterday."

"Oh…" He said, looking down momentarily to hide his blush. "Hey listen, I know you're going through a lot right now…and you were just stressed…really, it's no big." He assured her, trying his best to sound understanding: though Kim could clearly detect the disappointment in his voice.

"Ron," She said softly, placing her hand on his leg. "That's just it…I don't think that kiss _was_ stress-induced." She saw his eyes widen slightly. "Ever since the Moodulator incident, I've been…noticing things about you and I; things I tended to overlook or dismiss before." Her voice began to quiver. "And as terrified as I am to say this…I-I…" She trailed off; dropping her head as her eyes began to tear-up.

Ron reached over and lifted her head up: looking her in the eyes and speaking in a warm and tender voice Kim had never heard him use before. "Kim…" He paused and she noticed that his eyes were tearing as well. "I _love_ you Kim." This time it was the 'buffoon' who initiated the kiss.

As she felt the warmth of his lips touch hers, her mind was suddenly flooded with a series of mental snapshots. It was like her and Ron's past, present, and future was flashing before her eyes: her first day of pre-school when she and Ron first met, their first day at Middleton High when she had to pry him out of the car and drag him into the building kicking and screaming, their first kiss and the look on Wade's face when he interrupted it, and then there were two additional images. The first image was of her, dressed in a flowing white dress, being led by her father up the isle to where Ron happily waited. The second image was her lying in a hospital bed: smiling as her husband rocked their baby in his arms while tears rolled down his cheeks. The beautiful thing about those two images was that neither one freaked her out. In fact, a part of her was looking forward to them.

She slowly backed away from Ron's kiss and looked at him with tear-stained eyes. "I love you too Ron…and…I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realize it."

"Apology accepted." He replied with a smile: gently wiping the tears from her cheeks and kissing her again.

* * *

'_Man,' Sean thought as he exited the bathroom: savoring the fresh air that greeted him. 'I hope I didn't get E Coli or something.' The cheeseburger had kept him in the bathroom for nearly fifteen minutes and had left him feeling like he'd just had Drain-O run through his system: and to make matters worse, he was **hungry** again._

"_Just no more cold-cheeseburgers" He told himself before keying his shoulder-mic. "25R9 10-8, has Robert 10 updated her status yet?" He'd never heard her go Code 4, which would indicate she didn't need any assistance._

"_**25R9 negative,**" The female dispatcher replied through the square mic on his shoulder. "**I was just about to check.**"_

"_25R9 copy, thank you." Sean said as he took a seat in the lounge, scoffing at the fact that Kate had turned back to Disney while he was 'occupied'._

"_**25R10 update your status.**" There was no response. "**25R10 do you copy?**" Sean muted the television and turned the volume up on his radio. "**Pacific County Dispatch to unit 25R10, please respond, are you Code 4 on your 10-33?**" Nothing. Sean grabbed his baton from the table and headed for the door. "**25R9 I'm not getting a response from Robert 10.**" The dispatchers replied casually._

"_25R9 show me 49 to her location and continue trying to raise her please." He said, fumbling for his car keys._

"_**25R9 copy.**" The dispatcher answered, a slight hint of annoyance and frustration in her voice._

_As Sean pulled the cruiser out of the station parking lot, he tried his best to stay calm. "This is nothing to worry about," He told himself as the dispatcher continued attempting to raise Kate. "Radio reception sucks in that area anyway…not to mention these Motorola's the chief assigns us aren't worth their weight in shit." His optimism was suddenly shattered as the radio let out three sharp 'beeps'. The beeps were a special command that dispatch used to precede an important message: it meant 'everyone shut the fuck up and listen'._

"_**Attention 25Y3 and 25R9,**" The dispatcher's voice now had a hint of apprehension to it. "**We're just receiving word via CHP transfer of a Prom-shoot in the area of Rowe Ln. and Hidden Valley Rd. Caller reported hearing four to five shots as she drove down Hidden Valley Rd. approximately ten minutes ago.**"_

"_Ten minutes ago! Fuck!" Sean shouted as he reached over and flipped a switch on the center console: outside the night was turned into a surreal red and blue lightshow as the cruiser howled down the road at close to eighty. "25R9 show me responding Code 3." He shouted into the mic. Department regulations required that he get authorization from a Sergeant or Watch Commander before initiating a Code 3 run, but he really didn't give a damn right now._

"_25Y3," Fred Johnson, the sole paid officer on duty, spoke up. "I copy 25R9's Code 3 response. I'm still 10-7 at the county jail with my in-custody's, can you start a few outside units for me?" Normally it would have been Sean or Kate booking arrestees into custody since they were the Reserves, but Fred had been trying to get 'personal' with the In-take Deputy at the jail. Before dispatch could respond, a fourth voice interrupted._

"_Uh, h-hello? Can anyone hear me?" Whoever it was, it wasn't a police officer: the complete lack of 'patrol-jargon' and panicked voice was a dead giveaway._

"_**This is Pacific County Police Services,**" The dispatcher announced. "**You are broadcasting on a restricted frequency, if you do not have an emergency please get off of this channel or you will be prosecuted in accordance with FCC regulations.**" The unknown caller's response sent the channel into frenzy._

"_I-I need an ambulance at 44 Rowe Ln!" The caller pleaded. "A police officer has been shot!"_

"_**ALL UNITS CODE 33 THIS CHANNEL. REPEAT, CODE 33 THIS CHANNEL FOR AN OFFICER DOWN AT 44 ROWE LN. IN PACIFIC HEIGHTS!**"_

'_Oh Jesus Christ! Oh fuck no!' Sean's mind screamed as his boot smashed the accelerator against the cruiser's firewall, sending the overworked Caprice into the triple-digits._

"_**Sir!**" The dispatcher said, addressing the unknown civilian on the other end. "**We have medical personnel en route!** **Can you advise on the extent of the officer's injuries?**"_

"_S-she's dead! Oh God I-I think she's dead!" That was the last coherent thing Sean heard that night.

* * *

_

_June 5 – 23:15_

"What?" Sean said, looking up from what had to be his sixth _Jägermeifter_. He knew Susan had said something, but he hadn't heard what it was.

"I said, what do you think those two are up to right now?" Susan answered, slamming down yet another shot of _Southern Comfort_.

"Well for _my_ sake they better be going at it like weasels right now." He said before taking another sip of his drink: letting the German beer slide down his throat. Susan arched one of her eyebrows in confusion. "Hey," The FBI agent responded: only slightly tipsy from the alcohol he had imbibed. "I gave up getting laid tonight so they could have the room to themselves, to 'talk things over'." He used his fingers to indicate quotation marks.

"Who says you're _not_ getting laid tonight?" The raven-haired woman replied with a seductive smile.

"You reserve us a _second_ room I don't know about?" Sean asked optimistically.

"No," Susan said: her seductive smile turning into an evil smirk. "But that park down the street looks _pretty_ private to me."

"_Ooh…naughty_!" Sean replied in a mock-British accent. "But seriously Sue, we're federal agents and need to act in a manner that reflects positively on the US Government."

"Hmm, yeah...you coming or not?" The NSA agent asked, standing up and offering him her hand.

"Yeah ok." Sean laughed as he took her hand and was led out the back.

* * *

_- I originally planned to end this chapter with that last flashback, but decided at the last minute to include the bar scene (after a week of death I wanted to end it on an upbeat note). Chapter 9 will be up in a week or two. Till then, keep those reviews coming._

* * *

**Radio Jargon Glossary **

_At Godhand's Number's recommendation, I have decided to add this glossary for anyone who still doesn't understand the 'radio jargon' used above._

**Call Signs**: In the area I work (As well as most areas of California), all law enforcement units are given a call sign that is divided into three subgroups. Take Sean's call sign 25R9 for example; the first part of his call sign - 25 represents the individual department, in this case the fictional town of Pacific Heights. The numbers usually begin at 1, for the County Sheriff, and increase by town incorporation: so Pacific Heights would be the twenty-fifth town incorporated in Pacific County.

The letter that follows the agency ID number is used to identify what type of unit it is. For example: R, or Robert as it's pronounced phonetically, is used to identify the unit as a Reserve. There are also letters designating beat units (X, Y, and Z for Day, Swing, and Graveyard Shift), Watch Commanders (W), K-9 Officers (K9), and any other special-detail assignments (SWAT, Aero, Coroner, etc.).

The second set of numbers can mean two things. In the case of beat units (X, Y, or Z), the number represents what beat (Area of the city) they are assigned to. So for example; Fred Johnson (25Y3) would be a Pacific Heights Swing Shift unit working Beat 3. In the case of non-beat units like 25R9 and 25R10, the last number merely increases from1 for every individual person with the same call sign prefix. Kate for example, being R10, would have been the tenth Reserve Officer ever hired by Pacific Heights PD, and would have been hired right after Sean who is R9.

**Radio Codes**: The number one most confusing element of 'radio jargon' is without a doubt the radio codes. In law enforcement communications, radio codes are used both as a shorthand method of communication, and as a way of concealing information from prying ears who listen in on scanners. The basic sets of codes are known as the 'ten codes' because they start with a '10'. There are, however, several hundred individual codes to represent everything from _mealtime_ to the newest addition: _necrophilia_ (Which has _just now_ been outlawed in the State of California after three years of debate). Below I have defined a few codes used in this chapter.

_**Code 3**: Emergency Response - Use of Lights and Siren Authorized_

_**Code 4**: No Further Assistance Needed (I'm alright)_

_**Code 7**: Mealtime_

_**Code 33**: Tac Emergency - Used in the event of an 'unusual occurrence', it essentially turns the channel into a tactical frequency (which means all codes are out the window and officers can converse informally) and forces anyone not involved onto another channel. It also exempts the channel from some FCC guidelines: so if you swear, it's all right as long as there's some understandable reason to do so (If you're under fire from AK-47's, you can probably get away with yelling 'fuck' a few times). _

_**10-7**: Out of Service/Unavailable_

_**10-8**: In service/Available_

_**10-33 (Audible)**: Alarm (Audible)_

_**10-49**: En Route_

_**10-63**: Prepare to Copy Info (Usually means you're getting a call for service)_

_**Prom-Shoot**: Promiscuous Shooting - Means someone hears (or thinks they hear) gunshot(s) but haven't actually seen anyone fire a gun._

There are also certain ten codes that can be used without the '10' prefix, because they are known to be ten codes. An example of this would be '10-49'. There is no '11-49 or Code 49', so everyone understands what you're saying if you just transmit "I'm 49 the location".

Also, for those of you who are wondering, MDC stands for Mobile Data Console and is the computer found in most patrol cars.


	9. Chapter 9

**Before I answer questions and get down to the story, I wanted to take a minute to explain my final decision for keeping this story in the 'R' category. After doing some searching in the _Create Story_ menu, I found an accurate description of what a 'PG-13' rating can include. One of the limitations is, as they put it, "_one use of the harsher sexually derived words may be heard_". Because I prefer to keep an accurate dialogue throughout this story, the language is, I feel, too harsh to be PG-13 (not like it matters though...nobody's asking for ID anyway).

* * *

**

_Godhand's Number: I've actually only done non-police related work on **one** occasion (and that was at 03:30 after the bars were closed, nobody was around, and I had finished all of my reports for the day). What I do most of the time is park in a 'high crime' area (usually in the shopping center or neighborhoods that have had recent break-ins: vehicles or houses) and type up reports. That way I get my work done without having to take up my 'off-duty' time or sit at the station. Plus if I roll all the windows down and turn off the engine, I can hear for quite a distance and have caught auto burglars on more than one occasion after hearing the glass-break from one or two blocks over._

_Thanks for the glossary recommendation. I hope it has helped._

_An AR-15 eh? Nice choice. While I am in favor of some weapons being banned (Ingram's, Tec-9's, and other 'Saturday Night Special' assault weapons for example), I really don't see a problem with an 800 dollar+ .223 sporting rifle (though I personally have found more accuracy in my 600 dollar Ruger Mini-14 than in my 1,200 dollar Bushmaster).

* * *

_

**Chapter Nine**

_Super 8 Hotel  
__Oelwein, Iowa – June 6 08:19_

"Looks like you owe me twenty bucks Sue."

Kim opened her eyes slowly and turned her head toward the source of the voice, finding the two federal agents standing just inside the doorway holding twin cups of coffee: a look of pride and accomplishment on Sean's face, and a look of resigned (but pleased) defeat on Shego's. She rolled her head over to catch a glimpse of Ron who was asleep next to her with his right arm wrapped gently, yet protectively, around her stomach. It was then she realized that, although she was covered from the waist down by the bed sheets, her nude upper body was exposed to the leering eyes of the two, rather unwelcome, agents.

"Jeez Sean," Kim said bitterly, using her free arm to cover her exposed chest. "You seem so pleased with your work, why don't you just take a picture?"

"Good idea, this'll make a great welcome back card for you dad." The FBI agent casually shot back, pulling out his cell phone and pointing it at her. Before he could pretend to snap a photo of the now wide-eyed redhead, Shego snatched the device out of his hand and delivered a swift elbow to the side of his ribs. "Ow…hey!" Sean grunted; having been caught off-guard by his girlfriend's attack. "I'm just messing around…it's not even a _real_ camera phone." Both women rolled their eyes.

"Sorry to bother you two love-birds," Shego announced as her frown changed into an evil smirk. "Though it does look like we're here _after_ the fact. Just wanted to let you know that Sean and I are gonna head into Waterloo to meet and brief the rest of the strike-force."

"We're going to be gone until mid-afternoon," Sean added. "So if you need to reach us for any reason, here's my cell number." He pulled a business card out of his pocket and placed it on top of the TV. "I'm also gonna leave you the keys to the Jeep, in case you two want to cruise the town or something. Just remember not to draw too much attention to yourselves, and if anyone asks; you're both just passing through on your way to Elkader to stay with some friends, ok?"

Kim raised her arm and gave the two agents a thumbs-up. Then, realizing she had just unintentionally flashed them; quickly re-covered herself and blushed.

As the agents turned to leave, Sean decided to give the teen one last piece of advice. "Hey Kim, things are gonna get pretty stressful tonight. If I were you, I'd try to have some fun today, take a drive, see a movie, or something along those lines; you'll both be more relaxed later if you do."

* * *

Ron let out a soft moan as the mid-morning sunlight came through the window, focusing itself on his face. After a moment, his tired eyes adjusted to the brightness that had enveloped the hotel room and allowed them to focus on a truly beautiful sight: The redheaded teen sleeping next to him. 

He still couldn't believe what had transpired the night before. After literally _months_ of trying to build up the courage to talk to her, to tell her how he felt, and after going over _every_ possible scenario and repercussion he could think of, in the span of a few seconds she had simply flung the door open in front of him and allowed him the opportunity to walk through. What was even more surprising to the blond was the fact that he _had_ walked through and exposed his innermost feelings to her without even batting an eye, without even worrying about the possible fallout that may have occurred had she not felt the same way toward him. That, however, had not been the case; not only had Kim willingly given her heart to him, but she had given her body as well. The teen couldn't help but blush as he remembered the events of the previous night.

"I guess _now_ I really am a man." He said to himself with a smile.

"What was that?" A soft angelic voice next to him asked. Ron noticed that the redhead's eyes were open slightly and she was gazing lovingly at him.

"Oh nothing," The blond replied softly, returning her loving glance. "Just thinking out loud. What time is it?" Kim turned her head toward the bedside table to check the alarm clock.

"It's a little before noon." She answered as she turned back to face him again. "Sean and Shego came by at about eight this morning…" Ron's eyes widened slightly, which caused Kim to giggle. "Don't worry, it wasn't _that_ awkward. In fact, I'm pretty sure they were expecting to find us like this." She reassured him.

"That's true," Ron replied; eying the opened 'gift' that the FBI agent had given him the night before. "Sean wasn't exactly discreet about his matchmaking efforts was he." Kim snorted. "Did they say anything? Or did they just want to observe their handiwork?"

"They said that they were heading into Waterloo to meet with the strike-force and will be back in a few hours. They also left us the Jeep in case we want to cruise the town. I haven't seen a Bueno Nacho since we arrived, but I did notice a Cineplex over near the Denny's. You wanna catch a movie in a little bit?"

"Sounds good to me, what type of movie do you have in mind?"

"Hmm…" She pretended to think it over. "How about something romantic?"

Kim knew from experience that Ron had always avoided seeing romantic movies with her like they were the plague, but given the recent turn of events, she was curious what his answer would be. "Sounds like fun," The blond responded with his trademark goofy grin. "But I've got one request."

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Kim asked. Ron leaned in and placed his forehead gently against hers.

"We have to sit in the _back_ of the theater." Kim returned his wicked smile before answering.

"I think that's a doable request, as long as you don't think it'll upset Rufus too much; I think he's still a little traumatized from last night." Ron looked down at the pile of their discarded clothes that Rufus had taken refuge in the night before.

"He should be alright with it as long as I keep him supplied with a sufficient amount of snacks." The teen replied. "So…do you want to shower first, or should I?"

"Y'know," The redhead replied seductively. "One of the perks of being a couple is you don't have to worry about shower-order anymore." It took Ron a few seconds to get what his girlfriend was implying, but when Kim grabbed his arm and begun pulling him toward the bathroom door, he quickly understood.

* * *

_Century 5 Cineplex_  
_Oelwein, Iowa – 18:25_

"Well that was, without a doubt, the _biggest_ waste of twenty dollars _ever_." Kim thought out loud as the teens exited the movie.

"I had a good time." Ron said innocently, placing his arm around her waist.

"Are you _kidding_? That was the _worst_ romantic-comedy I've ever seen! It had _no_ storyline and the actors were _terrible_!"

"I wasn't talking about the movie KP." Ron replied with a sly grin.

"…" Rufus, who was once again nestled in Ron's pocket, grumbled something unintelligible which caused both teens to laugh.

"So…what do you want to do now?" The blond asked.

"Sean and Shego should definitely be back from Waterloo by now, so we should probably head back to the hotel and check in with them." Kim answered: seeing that it was almost six-thirty.

"Awww," Ron wined. "But I was having fun." Kim giggled and pulled him in for a kiss.

"Don't worry, there'll be plenty of time for more fun _after_ this is all over. Ok?"

"You got it KP."

* * *

"**Heads up!**" 

"Baah!" Ron hadn't even stepped inside the hotel room when Sean tossed something large and black at him. He barely managed to catch the heavy duffle bag before it flew past him into the parking lot.

"What is this? _More_ guns?" Kim asked the two agents.

"Nope," Sean answered as he tossed an identical bag at Kim. She let out a grunt as she caught it; her best guess as to its weight being somewhere around seventy pounds "That's your mission clothes and equipment."

Kim and Ron both placed the bags on the edge of the bed and began emptying their contents. Inside each bag was one pair of custom-tailored woodland cammo BDU's, a lightweight Kevlar bulletproof vest (the same type police officers wear under their uniforms), a second heavy-duty Kevlar SWAT-type tactical vest with several Velcro pockets and the words '_FBI_' printed in big white letters on the front and back, a nylon gun belt (the same ones they had worn yesterday, only with two handcuff cases and a radio holster added), a pair of black combat boots (also custom fitted), a bulletproof _PASGT_ helmet, and a pair of expensive-looking night vision goggles; the same type Kim had seen the military use, with the ability to mount directly onto one's helmet.

"We have to wear all this?" Kim asked, remembering Shego had mentioned they would be walking in through a State Park to get to the target.

"Don't worry," Sean replied: fastening his own, identical, gun belt around his waist. "It looks like a lot, but once you get it all on you won't even notice it."

* * *

"Won't even notice it my _ass_! I feel like I'm wearing a bomb-disposal suit!" Ron wined. After taking close to ten minutes to figure out how to put everything on (eventually seeking the help of both amused agents), the two teens were fully suited up and trying to figure out how to move and sit down comfortably. 

"That's not even the worst of it," Kim added. "I mean _look_ at this ensemble; total fashion nightmare!"

"For Christ's sake you two," Sean snapped. "We're not wearing this shit to look pretty! We're wearing it because it'll keep us safe and help with concealment in a combat environment!"

"Besides," Shego added; a heavier tone of humor in her voice. "Club Banana didn't carry _Safariland_."

"If it helps," Sean said with a sigh. "You're not actually gonna be wearing the tactical vest or helmet until we get there."

"Shouldn't we not be wearing _any_ of it until we get there?" Ron asked. "I thought we don't want to attract attention." Shego answered before Sean could.

"We're not stopping anywhere until we reach Bixby State Park, and by then it will be dark. We'll also be in the Jeep, which blends in with the area; so when people see it drive by they won't give us a second glance because we'll look like we belong, that wouldn't be the case if we were in the Crown Victoria."

Kim nodded in understanding as she sat down on the nearest chair. Forgetting about the extra weight she was carrying, she came down a lot harder than she wanted: letting out a small painful whimper that did _not_ go unnoticed by either agent. Sean turned away and pretended he had heard nothing, while Shego (fighting off her twisted urge to laugh) decided to play 'big sister' yet again.

"I take it that last night was your first time Kim?" She asked as Ron, who had been trying to test the maneuverability of his tactical gear by leaning back in his chair, toppled back against the wall with a harsh 'thud'.

"…_That is none of your business_!" Kim growled at the NSA agent. Shego held her hands up and gave the redhead an apologetic and understanding look.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you two," She said as Ron tried, like a flipped turtle, to pick himself up off the floor. "I just wanted to reassure you that it's perfectly normal to be…y'know, sore afterwards. Especially if you don't take things slowly." Kim's face suddenly matched the color of her hair. Fortunately for both teens, Sean managed to come to the rescue: literally in Ron's case.

"All right Sue," He said, walking over and helping the blond up off of the floor. "That's enough awkward moments for one day." He turned toward Kim before continuing. "I do want to remind you two that Susan and I make sure to keep our relationship separate from the mission; I expect both of you to do the same, got it?"

"Got it." Kim replied as she removed her vest and helmet and placed them back into her duffle bag.

"No prob." Ron answered, following his girlfriend's lead.

"Alright then…" Sean announced with a deep breath. "Let's move out."

* * *

_Route 3 East_  
_Near Strawberry Point, Iowa – 21:05_

Kim watched absently as the last remaining rays of sunlight merged into night outside the window. Glancing at her watch, she saw that they had been driving for just over an hour; an hour occupied by a tense silence. That is, until Sean spoke.

"Hey Sue." He said, pointing to something ahead of them on the side of the road. Kim and Ron both leaned in toward the center to get a clear view of Sean's target.

"Is that them?" The brunette agent asked. As they got closer Sean flipped on the interior lights and slowed the Jeep to a crawl. The teens quickly realized that the object of the agents' conversation was a chartered _Greyhound_ bus stopped on the shoulder with its emergency blinkers on: the inside was blacked-out, but there were two men outside doing some kind of work on the left-front tire.

"Yeah, that's them." Sean responded. As they slowly passed the bus, the FBI agent gave the men a casual half-wave/half-salute, which was returned by one of the men as the other gestured to his watch and gave a thumbs-up.

"Looks like everyone is set." Shego commented before turning her attention back to the paperback novel she was engrossed in. Kim waited a moment for an explanation from Sean, but soon realized she wouldn't get one unless she asked.

"So…who was that?" It was Ron who asked the question first.

"That was HRT, the watch and thumbs-up meant the strike-force is in position and good-to-go when we call for them." Sean answered coldly. His and Shego's sarcastic and cynical humor had vanished, Kim noticed, shortly after they had left Oelwein: most likely due to the reality and stress of what they were going into. Or at least that's how _she_ felt.

"Oh ok…wait, those _two guys_ are the strike-force?" Ron asked honestly, which caused the redhead next to him to giggle softly.

'Thank God for The Ron Factor.' Kim thought as the two agents let out stifled groans at the blonde's natural…well, _blond-ness_.

"No Ron," The FBI agent replied in a dismissive tone. "The _rest_ of the team was on the bus, there are twenty-five of them."

"We've also got three State Police TAC Teams and two Iowa National Guard helicopters on standby at Dubuque Municipal Airport." Shego added, somehow managing not to take her eyes out of her book. "That's about twenty minutes away by air, so we're planning on calling them in as soon as we reach the compound: that way they should arrive shortly after we grab Kim's dad."

"Cedar Rapids PD's loaned us the use of their helicopter as well." Sean added. "Its equipped with a Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) so it can track personnel movement in the dark." The two teens sat in silence for a few moments. They had both hoped the strike-force would be equipped enough to handle _The New Order_, but neither had any idea just how much of a force it was. They finally understood why the four of them needed to go in first; if left to the strike-force, there would _be_ no compound left.

"Well," Kim finally spoke, trying to force some optimism into her voice. "At least we got plenty of back-up."

"The strike-force is _not_ our back-up Kim." Sean scolded. "If we have to call them in to help us, it'll mean things have really gone to hell."

"Oh, so they're…" Ron trailed off, waiting for an answer.

"They're the mop and broom." Shego answered coldly, driving the car into silence once again.

* * *

_Fire Road S-19_  
_Bixby State Park – 22:29_

Kim heard the gravel crunch under her combat boots as she exited the Jeep and took in her surroundings; there were dense woods on both sides of the dirt road.

"Before we move out," Sean announced as he opened the back cargo hatch and removed _yet another_ duffle bag. "Everyone needs to take a radio and tactical headset." He demonstrated for the teens how to put the device on: clipping the circular toggle-pad to the front of his vest, plugging the 'Secret Service' type earpiece into his left ear, and wrapping the cloth throat-mic around his throat. "To talk, all you have to do is press this pad on your vest lightly." He announced as he pressed the pad. His voice was suddenly coming in crystal clear through Kim, Ron, and Shego's earpiece.

"Like this?" Kim asked as she pressed the toggle-pad. She heard a faint 'cool' come from Ron's direction.

"Exactly," The agent replied. "It's noise canceling as well; so you can whisper if you have to and we'll still hear you clearly. They're encoded too, so no one can listen in without access to the constantly changing code sequence. Not even your computer guy could crack these things."

"The FCC can't even listen in," Shego added, showing the first sign of humor in over two hours. "So you can say 'fuck' without getting in trouble."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kim smiled.

"Here," Sean reached into his bag and pulled out four small heat packs. "Activate these and put them in your upper left pocket." The two teens gave him a questioning look.

"They're to identify us as good guys," Shego reassured them. "This way if we're still there when the strike-force arrives, the FLIR will see the bright red heat-spot just below our left shoulders and the helicopter crew will know it's us." Kim and Ron both nodded and did as they were instructed.

"One more piece of advice before we go," Sean said, waiting for the teens to make eye contact with him before continuing. "You've both got more than enough skills to handle this mission; both from what I've taught you, and what you already know. So don't think for a second that you can't handle it. Just focus on what needs to be done, don't fuck around, and we'll all be home in time for breakfast."

"Let's do this then." Kim said; slinging the Bushmaster across her chest and attaching the night vision goggles to her helmet. Shego glanced over at Ron and, seeing he was ready to go, nodded to Sean.

"Let's go." He said as he turned and headed into the woods: the three others following closely behind.

* * *

_- Well there you go; Ron's now a man, and Kim's...well, sore...but happy. We're getting pretty close to the end here: I'm guessing another one or two chapters to cover the raid and 'day after', plus an epilogue of sorts (to wrap up any loose ends I see fit to throw in). As always; questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome._


	10. Chapter 10

_Godhand's Number: Thanks for the advice on using multiple perspectives. As you may have noticed; I am employing this technique on my other two stories. I am, however, curious as to what you mean by a 'show-not-tell problem'. I would really appreciate it if you could give me an example of what that is. _

_The gun laws in California aren't too restrictive, with the exception of the California AWB (Assault Weapon Ban). If you want a detailed description of what it prohibits, you can do a _Yahoo_ search on **California Penal Code Section 12276**. It basically prohibits the sale or possession of semi-automatic rifles with any of the 'assault characteristics' defined under **Section 12276.1. **You are also prohibited from owning any ammunition magazine with a capacity over ten rounds. Both of these laws are, however, not applicable to Peace Officers._

_aberaham tulip: The sudden change from joking to serious may seem a bit unusual to some people, but when faced with such stressful situations it is very common to switch moods rather quickly. A more common term for this is 'Gallows Humor' and is a natural psychological defense for many soldiers and first-responders._

_miss-starfire: Yes I am, and yes I do.

* * *

**Chapter Ten** _

"_We now go live to Julie Steyner in Pacific Heights for more information." The news anchorman announced. "Julie?"_

"_Thank you Bob. I'm here in front of the Pacific Heights Police Department where, in about one minute, we are expecting Chief of Police Gary Jordan to give a short press conference regarding Kathryn Mossman, the Officer who was killed last night shortly after responding to a burglar alarm in one of this town's high-end neighborhoods. __In addition to being the youngest member of the department's Reserve Program, Kathryn, or Kate as she was known to friends, was also a senior at Pacific Heights High School and joined the force as an Explorer in her freshman year…"_

_Sean muted the television and got up off of his bed, bringing the bottle of vodka with him. It had been over eleven hours since his life had essentially ended, since his best friend, his true love, had been ripped violently from him. Of those eleven hours, he had spent the last seven locked in his room: drinking, sleeping, and crying._

_He stumbled over to the four-foot high safe in the corner of his room and swung the heavy metal door open. Even though he lived with his parents neither of them knew the combination to his safe, thus giving him the perfect opportunity to store a small arsenal of alcohol without them finding it. This time, however, he didn't reach for one of the decorative glass bottles. With a face devoid of emotion he withdrew his service weapon, a Smith and Wesson 5906, and one loose 9mm round: he didn't bother to grab one of its fifteen-round magazines because, he told himself, he only needed **one** bullet for what he had in mind._

_Downing the remainder of the vodka he returned to his bed with the gun and bullet. Looking down at the stainless steel pistol in his hand, he broke out into tears once again._

"_I'm coming with you Kate," He managed to choke out between sobs. "You are **not** leaving me like this!" He slipped the loose round into the breech and released the slide-lock mechanism, flinching as the pistol's slide snapped forward in his hand. With another deep breath he released the safety, cocked the hammer, put the gun to the side of his head, and pulled the trigger._

_

* * *

Outskirts  
__Bixby State Park – June 7 01:05_

After two and a half hours of walking, even Kim (who was by-far the more athletic of Team Possible) was starting to wear out from the added weight they were carrying. She was about to suggest a rest stop to Sean when they heard voices coming up from the left.

"Take cover!" Sean whispered into his radio and gestured toward a patch of high foliage to their right. Moving quickly, yet silently, the four commandos knelt down in the bushes and activated their night vision goggles to get a better look at whoever was approaching.

Fifteen seconds after the team ducked into the brush two men came into view through the trees. They were wearing matching cammo uniforms, body armor, and black balaclavas to cover their faces. They also had automatic rifles slung over their shoulders. As they passed by, unaware of the four intruders right next to them, Kim heard the lead soldier mention something about 'the hostage in the machine shed' and her heart began to race.

'He's alive, he's in the shed!' She thought, allowing herself to breath a quiet sigh of relief. After about a minute, Sean's voice once again whispered into their ears.

"Everyone good to go?" Shego, Ron, and Kim all gave a thumb up. "Ok, it sounds like Dr. Possible's in the machine shed, Sue?_"_

"That's on the West side of the compound, near the barn._"_ Shego replied. Sean nodded and signaled for them to proceed.

* * *

_Southwest Corner_  
_The New Order Compound – 01:29_

"There it is" Shego announced pointing to the wooden building, about the size of a small apartment. The team had first arrived at the compound near the shooting range and followed Shego to their current position in the underbrush, about fifteen yards from their target.

"I see one hostile out front." Sean stated, despite the fact that the armed sentry, standing guard next to the front door, was clearly visible to all four of them.

"There's probably at least one inside with the Doc." Shego added as Sean withdrew a suppressor from one of his pockets, attached it to the barrel of his Bushmaster, and handed it to the NSA agent.

"Why aren't you taking the shot?" Ron whispered to the FBI agent. He'd seen him shoot at the farm the day before and knew he had deadly precision.

"Rules of Engagement are different in the NSA." The brunette answered. Ron didn't understand, but figured he could get a better answer later. He and Kim averted their eyes as Shego took aim and squeezed the trigger. With a hushed 'snap-snap' the assault rifle fired two quick shots that, striking the sentry in the side of the head, sent the man to the ground in a lifeless heap. Her job done, Shego returned the rifle to its owner and un-slung her own smaller-caliber MP-5SD submachine gun from behind her back.

"Alright Ron, you and Kim follow us and take cover near that wood pile next to the barn. Susan and I will go in and get your dad. When we come out cover us as we head back into the woods, then you do the same. If we're in there too long, or _anyone_ you don't recognize comes out and poses a threat, take 'em down and fall back into the forest. Got it?" The two teen-commandos nodded. "Good, hang on one."

He reached down and switched channels on his radio. "This is Recon Alpha to CP (Command Post), come in." He paused as he waited for a reply. "Recon Alpha, recon team is in position and has a green light, initiate secondary strike-force now" Sean announced: giving the helicopter crews in Dubuque the notice to head out. Switching his radio back, Sean addressed his team again. "OK, let's go"

The four stood and began moving toward the barn as quietly as they could. The compound had several stadium lights set up, so they didn't need their night vision. As they approached the pile of stacked cordwood, the two teens knelt down and took aim at the front door of the shed while the agents took position on either side of the door.

Sean glanced down at the dead sentry, his scalp blown open from the .223 sub-sonic round, before turning his attention to Shego. The NSA agent held up her hand and gave him an 'ok' sign, which he quickly returned. With a nod, she then held up three fingers and began counting down. When the last finger disappeared into her fist, Sean stepped out in front of the door, raised his knee to chest level, and sent the door flying inward with a solidly placed kick.

* * *

"Well…there in." Ron commented: watching the events unfold above the sights of his Bushmaster. 

"Yeah…" Kim sighed, lowering her rifle slightly; it was all in Sean and Shego's hands now. Suddenly her eyes were attracted to movement near the left-hand corner of the wooden shed.

The redhead watched horrified as _another_ sentry appeared around the corner, stopping in his tracks when he saw the body of his friend.

"_Oh fuck me…_" She whispered, watching as the young man knelt down and took aim at the opened front door: waiting for the federal agents to emerge. Sean had said to shoot any hostiles…but he wasn't posing an _immediate_ threat to anyone. Still, she had to do something.

"Sean, heads up! Sentry to the left of the front door!" She said into her throat mic, a little louder than she should have. Without hesitating, the sentry spun and released a spray of bullets from his rifle in the direction of the voice.

"**Shit!**" Ron screamed in pain as Kim dove for cover next to him. While the 7.62mm slugs began to pound the side of the barn and woodpile Kim looked over at her boyfriend. "**Oh shit, shit-shit-shit…**" He yelled through clenched teeth: his hands clamped over his lower abdomen.

"**Ron! You're hit?**" Kim yelled, pulling him closer to her position under cover.

"…**Yeah, I-I guess I am.**" He replied in his best 'Ron voice', trying unsuccessfully to conceal the pain.

* * *

"You know son," Dr. William 'Bill' Possible announced as he dug a spoonful of what, according to the label on the MRE, was _supposed_ to be Beef Macaroni from the pouch. "Just because you kids want to play army doesn't mean you have to eat like it. What's so hard about going to a market on occasion?" 

"_Shut up_!" The guard, a seventeen year-old boy, hissed: tightening his grip on the Mini-14 in his hands. The fact that _The New Order's_ leader had this boy committing such violent and illegal acts disgusted the doctor more than anything else he had encountered so far.

"C'mon kid, relax." Bill scolded. After several days in captivity he was starting to build his nerves: his attitude becoming slightly more cavalier towards his captors. "Look at me; I weigh one-hundred and forty pounds and spend fifty hours a week in a lab, how much of a risk…" But he never finished his sentence…

With a loud crash, the front door burst open and two camouflaged commandos with '_FBI_' on their vests rushed into the room. Before Bill, or the guard, could react there were three sharp snaps and the boy fell to the ground: a large portion of his skull hitting the wall behind him.

Perhaps due to the swift and brutal nature of the commandos' entry, or the fact that he had never seen someone die right in front of him, Bill found himself staring at the agents in horrified fixation: the spoonful of macaroni hovering in front of his mouth.

"Dr. Possible," Sean announced as he leaned down and offered his hand to the frightened doctor. "I'm ASAC Pollard, FBI…" He gestured toward Shego. "This is Agent Gonzales, NSA. We're here to bring you home." Bill took the agent's hand and was pulled upright as the female agent, whom the doctor had the strangest feeling he had seen before, reached down and retrieved the dead boy's Ruger.

"Are you alright physically?" Asked Sean. "No problems walking?"

"No I'm fine." Bill responded.

"Here," Shego said, handing him the requisitioned carbine. "It's ready to go; just point and shoot."

"Stay between us and watch your targets," Sean added. "We've got two more operatives outside by the…"

"_Sean, heads up! Sentry to the left of the front door!_" Kim's voice came in clear as day.

Sean stopped and turned to Susan, right as the sharp 'clack-clack-clack' of an AK-47 reverberated through the shed.

"Kim!" They spoke in unison, as Sean ran toward the door with Shego and Bill close behind.

* * *

"Hang on Ron," Kim begged as she held the wounded blond in her arms while the sentry continued to empty his 30-round magazine into the woodpile. "You're gonna be fine…just hang on!" 

"Amp down KP," Ron reassured his girlfriend through painful breaths. "I'm alright…it just…_really_ hurts!" He forced himself to smile. "It's not like…in the movies y'know." He removed his right hand from the wound and drew his Glock from its holster: unable to reach his rifle, which was lying in the open. Kim was relieved to see that the wound was barley bleeding at all.

"Don't…worry about me," The blond reassured her as the gunfire stopped momentarily while the sentry loaded a fresh magazine: all the while screaming obscenities at the teens. "You need to…take out that soldier."

"And how am I going to do that?" The redhead replied, sliding up next to the woodpile so she was prepared to rise up and shoot at a moments notice. "I'd need a distraction…and since you're injured…" Ron laughed despite the obvious pain.

Suddenly the teens heard a familiar voice shout '_Get Down_', followed by more shots.

* * *

"**Did you say Kim?**" Dr. Possible yelled at the male agent as the sound of automatic gunfire assaulted his eardrums. 

"**Stay back!**" Was the response he got as Sean pushed him away from the door and took position in front of his partner. After what seemed like an eternity the shooting stopped momentarily and the two agents spun out into the open: taking aim at the sentry to their left.

"_Oh shit!_" Sean hissed. In the rush of things, he and Shego had managed to make _the most_ rookie mistake and had both turned to _their_ left, instead of _Kim's_ left: the obvious result placing their backs to the armed soldier. Sean spun around just in time to watch the bolt of the Chinese-made rifle slam forward.

The FBI agent had a fraction of a second to decide what to do; he could try to take a shot and hope that he managed to kill the sentry before he could spray both Shego and him with bullets, or…

"**Get Down!**" He shouted, shoving his girlfriend back into the shed and diving in after her. He rolled into Bill and knocked him to the ground just as the gunman's rounds began ripping through the wooden planks of the shed. As they lay on the dirty floor, the bio-researcher shielded between them, both agents prayed that Team Possible hadn't been taken out of commission, because, at the moment, they were the only ones who had a clear shot of the suspect.

* * *

"_Get Down!_" 

As soon as the gunfire started up again, Kim became aware of the fact that none of the rounds were traveling in her direction. Once again acting on recently acquired instinct, the redhead rose up over the cordwood and took aim at the soldier whose back was now facing toward her.

She took a deep breath and leveled the front sight of the Bushmaster right between the man's shoulder blades before squeezing the trigger several times. She watched in slow motion as the rifle's muzzle flashed three times and the gunman arched his back violently before falling to the ground.

It seemed almost surreal to her the manner in which the man died: he didn't spin around or fly against the wall like in the movies, he just…crumpled. What shocked her the most was the way the sentry made no attempt to soften his fall; he just hit the ground and lay there, motionless…

* * *

A few seconds after the AK's bullets began ripping through the wooden shed, the agents heard one of the teens' Bushmaster's fire three shots and the area was plunged into an ominous silence. Taking the initiative, Sean rose to his feet and helped Bill and Shego up. 

"Let's go!" He ordered, leading them out of the shed. When they exited the shed once again, Sean saw the second sentry, a boy in his early teens, face down in the dirt: his rifle lying uselessly at his side. He also saw Kim kneeling next to Ron, who was sitting against the wall of the barn clutching his gut.

As the agents and Dr. Possible ran over toward the teens' position, they became aware of an increasing level of activity occurring all around them. In every structure around the compound, men, women, and children were taking up arms and preparing to 'defend' themselves from the ZOG intruders.

Sean ran up and knelt down next to Ron, as Shego scanned the surrounding area through the sights of her Heckler and Koch. Bill stood frozen in place next to her staring at the two other commandos that comprised his rescue team. It was Kimmie…**_his_** Kimmie, and Ronald. He then noticed the look of pain on the blonde's face and his complexion paled even further.

"Can you walk?" Sean asked the wounded teen. Ron tried to stand, but let out an agonizing cry before he could even get himself off the ground.

"…It…feels like my insides are…on fire…" Ron managed to force out between labored breaths. Kim looked up at the FBI agent with worried eyes. Sean looked from one teen to the other, then up to Bill and Shego, before deciding on a plan of action.

"Alright Ron, I need you to take a deep breath and hold it for me." The agent ordered.

"What for-**AAAUGH**!" The blond screamed in pain as Sean reached down and hefted him onto his left shoulder in a fireman carry.

"Let's go!" Shego commanded: spotting a small group of soldiers exiting the main farmhouse on the other side of the compound. The three still-mobile commandos and Dr. Possible began to run back toward their entry point when at least two individuals opened fire from the forest, sending slugs smacking into the dirt all around them.

It was Shego and Kim who reacted first by returning fire into the tree line while Sean (still carrying Ron) and Bill took off back toward the safety of the woodpile. After expending their entire magazines into the forest, the two women turned and followed suit. Neither of them had managed to hit anyone, but their covering fire still achieved its required result by driving both soldiers back into the woods and buying everyone a few more seconds of safety. They reached the woodpile just as a new group of soldiers opened fire on their position, this time from the area of the farmhouse.

As woodchips and splinters once again rained down on the cornered rescue team, Kim looked over at Sean and asked the million-dollar question.

"**What do we do now?**" She looked into the man's eyes and saw a hint of something that made her blood run cold: _fear_.

"I don't know." Was his only answer. Then Kim noticed the open door nearby…

* * *

_- I know this chapter was a bit short, but with the events that are going to transpire from here on in, I felt it would be a bit overwhelming to cram it all into one chapter. I plan to have chapter 11 up in a week or two. Till then, be sure to check out my new story: Bailout. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated._


	11. Chapter 11

_Thank you Godhand's Number, Skymouth, and Just me and myself for the reviews. Sorry it's been over a month since I updated...very busy.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven** _

From their position behind the woodpile the rescue team could hear the angry shouts of approaching _Order_ members. They had to get out of the open…_fast_.

"**Sean…over here!**" Kim didn't bother to use her radio; they were all huddled close enough to hear each other.

The agent turned his attention away from the farmhouse and noticed her pointing to something behind them. He spun around prepared to shoot, and noticed the open door leading, hopefully, into the safety of the barn.

"**Hey guys!**" He got Shego and Bill's attention and pointed their escape route out to them.

"**Grab Stoppable and head for the door…**" Shego yelled over the sporadic gunfire. "**I'll give you covering-fire on three. When you get him inside, cover me from the doorway.**"

Sean reached down and lifted Ron off the ground, invoking a painful string of obscenities, and nodded.

"**Ok, one…two…three!**" Shego rose up over the wood and began to fire upon the closest group of soldiers, sending them diving for cover.

Without hesitating, Sean, Kim, and Bill quickly covered the distance to the side door and all but dove inside.

Once inside the barn, Sean leaned Ron against the wall and returned to the door to provide cover for Shego. Reaching the doorframe, the FBI agent took a standing position and fired off about twelve rounds before his partner came scurrying in.

Now that they were all safely in the barn, Sean shut and locked the heavy wooden door and ran over to where everyone was nervously gathered. They were out of harms way, for now…

* * *

While the rescue team took stock of their situation inside, outside over two-dozen armed _Order_ members were beginning to take up positions surrounding the barn. Every door, window, and crack in the wall was being watched through the sights of a gun.

* * *

Having eluded danger only momentarily, the team immediately took stock of their surroundings. The inside of the barn appeared much smaller than it really was; possibly due to the enormous collection of dust-covered farm equipment left over from when the compound held a legitimate purpose. In addition to the door they had just entered through there were two other personnel entrances, as well as the traditional large double-doors up front. 

Sean observed their shelter with dismay; from a tactical standpoint it was far less than ideal. In addition to having four potential entrances to guard, they would also have nothing but the wooden planks that made up the walls for protection. From a ballistics standpoint, they may as well be in the open; what they needed was…his eyes settled on a pair of concrete stairs leading into the floor approximately fifteen feet from him…a cellar.

"Sue," Sean pointed his find out to his partner. She followed his gaze to the cellar entrance and gave an approving nod.

"What's the plan guys?" Asked Kim. She was cradling Ron in her arms while her father stood next to her; still too shocked by the presence of his daughter and Ron to even speak.

Sean pointed her eyes in the direction of the stairs. "We need to get into the cellar, then we can hole-up and wait for the cavalry."

The idea of simply waiting while Ron sat in pain unsettled Kim, but she realized there was realistically no other option at the time. Quelling her fear and uneasiness, she nodded and, for the first time since his rescue, addressed her father directly.

"Dad," Bill almost seemed to jump when she spoke to him. "Can you carry Ron?"

He looked down nervously at her daughter's childhood friend and partner, his face visibly pale from the shock and pain of his wound, and managed to force out a response.

"Uh…sure Kimmie…"

Bill knelt down and scooped the injured teen into his arms as gently as he could manage. His efforts only evoked a low, painful moan from Ron as he followed the commandos and his daughter over to, and down the stairs into the cellar.

* * *

Sean, Shego, and Kim were huddled near the base of the stairs by the time Bill made his way down the steps. He didn't consider himself to be a particularly weak person, but the weight of the eighteen-year-old, plus all of his gear, made the short trip rather strenuous for the scientist. 

He reached the concrete floor and called out for someone to help him with Ron. The agents were both on their radios calling for backup, so it was Kim who came to his rescue.

She helped Ron out of her father's arms and they both carried him over to a desk and chair that, surprisingly, was free of dirt and dust, unlike most of the other items of junk around the cramped room. They set him in the chair as gently as they could and Kim knelt down next to him.

"How you doing Ron?"

It was a rather dumb thing to be asking him, but Kim just wanted to hear his voice; as long as he could still answer, she wouldn't completely freak out.

"Just a sec…" Ron rolled his head forward and looked down at the barely visible hole in his Kevlar vest. "Yup, still shot…you?" He looked up and gave her the goofiest grin he could manage under the circumstances.

"I'm ok Ron, so is my dad."

Ron looked up at his best friend/girlfriend's father. "Hey Dr. P…how come you never told us you work for the Army?" Bill's eyes grew wide.

"H-how…what are you talking about Ronald? I don't…"

"Dad," Kim interrupted him. "Sean told us about USAAMRID and the virus they made you steal…"

The scientist stared at them both in shocked horror. "K-Kimmie…I'm…"

Kim raised her hand to stop him. "Dad, I really don't care about that right now. We need to get Ron, and ourselves, out of here before we worry about anything else." Bill swallowed and nodded.

"Guys?" Kim and Bill turned and found Sean standing next to them. Shego was across the room covering the stairway for any potential threats.

"Strike force is on its way in," His eyes were focused on Ron as he spoke. "They should be here in less than fifteen minutes."

"What do we do about Ron?" Kim asked.

"Susan was a Search and Rescue paramedic in high school and college, if you can go cover the stairs for her, she'll take a look."

Kim was reluctant to leave her partner's side, but a strong glare from Sean pushed her into action and she hurried to replace Shego, who rushed over and ripped a first-aid pouch off of her back.

"Hey Stoppable, how you holding up?" She opened the pouch and withdrew several medical items, including a smaller pack labeled _GSW Treatment_.

"Do I have to answer that?"

"It'd help if you did."

"It's just a dull burning feeling when I stay still, but when I move…" He reached down slowly and covered the hole in his vest with his hand. When he removed his fingers, there was no blood visible. "It's not bleeding…why isn't it bleeding?" She could tell from the rising tone of his voice and rapid breathing that he was beginning to panic.

"Bullets are very hot when they're fired, it just burned the vessels shut." It was a lie, but hopefully Ron didn't know enough about first-aid to realize it.

"Oh…ok…" Her lie worked and he began to relax.

"Ron, this is going to hurt a little, but we need to get this gear off of you so I can get a better look at the wound, ok?"

"Ok…"

She signaled for Sean to assist her and together they unsnapped Ron's tactical vest and removed it as gingerly as possible. Although it was obvious the removal caused a great deal of pain, the teen seemed determined to conceal it; possibly because he knew that any cry would cause Kim to leave her post and run to his side, exposing them to a potential attack.

The second Kevlar vest was easier to remove; all Shego had to do was un-strap the Velcro and lift the front carrier off of Ron's chest, thus exposing the small blackened hole approximately six inches below his left nipple. Even with his shirt and both vests removed, the wound was still not bleeding, but the area directly below the hole was slightly discolored; like a deep bruise that had yet to fully surface.

"Ron, I'm going to apply a little pressure right here below the wound, I want you to let me know if you feel any additional pain."

Ron nodded and Shego placed three fingers against the bruised area; applying pressure as she did so. The area was noticeably harder than it was supposed to be; it felt like there was a water balloon about the size of two fists buried beneath his skin.

Ron, of course, didn't just _tell_ Shego that her actions hurt him, he screamed at her, coughed, took an angry swing at the interim medic, and slumped forward in his chair. He may very well have fallen to the floor if Kim hadn't run over to support him. She pushed him back into his seat and placed her arm over his shoulders, reassuring him that she was there, and not to worry.

Shego took the distraction as an opportunity to back off to the other side of the room and act like she was resuming her guard duties. Sean and Bill quietly followed.

"It's bad…isn't it?" Sean asked, making sure to keep his voice low enough that Kim wouldn't hear. Shego sighed and nodded.

"He's bleeding internally…"

"Exactly how bad is it?" Bill asked.

"It's bad, if he's not in the hands of competent paramedics in twenty minutes, and into surgery soon after that, he's going to die." They glanced back over at Ron, who seemed to have been calmed by Kim's presence.

"Is there anything else we can do for him?" Bill asked desperately.

"Not us," Sean commented. "But Kim should be able to keep him comfortable. If he's got his girlfriend with him it should give him a little extra strength to keep fighting."

"They're not a couple." Both agents looked at the scientist.

"What?"

"They're best friends, but they're not dating…" Shego slapped Bill lightly on the back and shook her head.

"Not since last night Doc. Now they're a little _more_ than friends."

Bill's jaw dropped. He seemed to want to say or do something, but any and all further actions were interrupted by the squelch of a base CB radio sitting on the desk next to the two teens.

"_To the UN storm troopers seeking refuge in the barn,_" A cold voice boomed out of the speakers drawing everyone over to the desk. "_I'm assuming you all had the intelligence to seek shelter in the cellar, so my transmission should be coming through to you. I want to speak with the leader of your little lynch mob._" Sean picked up the mic and keyed the talk button.

"This is FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Sean Pollard, we are federal law enforcement personnel conducting a search and rescue operation under the authorization of the US Attorney's office. Who am I speaking to?"

"_This is Kerry Noble, Commander of _The New Order_, your troops and you have entered onto sovereign land, stolen our prisoner of war, and killed three of my men. Against my better judgment, and the wishes of my soldiers, I am giving you the opportunity to surrender. Step outside with your hands in the air and you will not be harmed._" Sean looked over at Shego and snorted.

"We are not surrendering to you, this land is not sovereign in the eyes of the federal government. Your men fired on us despite clearly visible identification on our uniforms and we had no choice but to neutralize them."

"_One of those men you 'neutralized', the one your trooper shot in the back, was my thirteen-year-old son Erik…_" Behind him, Sean could hear Kim let out a horrified gasp. Sean shook his head in disgust.

"Your son shot my teammate and fired on the rest of us, we did what we had to do." Sean's voice held no sympathy. "We've got a multi-agency strike force preparing to storm this compound Kerry, I suggest you not be carrying a weapon when they get here." There were several seconds of silence before Noble's voice came back on.

"_You're bluffing._"

"What?" Sean looked over at Shego who was slowly moving back to the base of the stairs, just in case anyone was trying to sneak in while they were on the radio.

"_I said 'You're bluffing' Agent Pollard. If your 'rescue team' were anywhere close my men would have noticed them already. We have been keeping an eye on activity around Edgewood, the most that has been reported was a charter bus broken down on the interstate._" Sean chuckled lightly, drawing a confused look from Bill.

"Well I guess we're at a stalemate here Kerry, because my team isn't coming out until our reinforcements arrive."

"…_You have ten minutes to rethink your decision, then we come in after you._" And with that the conversation ended.

Sean looked down at his watch, according to the helicopter pilots; they were due to arrive in a little over five minutes, just ahead of the deadline.

"What do we do now?" Bill asked. Sean shrugged and loaded a fresh magazine into his assault rifle.

"Hope the Iowa Air National Guard keeps a tight schedule…"

* * *

"_Agent Pollard, we have given you more than enough time to make a decision. If we don't see any signs of surrender in the next two minutes, I'm ordering my men into the building._" The transmission ended and once again the group was left nervously awaiting any signs of rescue. 

"KP…" Ron's voice was weak and barely audible. His skin was also starting to resemble the pale white of the wall behind him.

"I'm here Ron." Kim knelt down and took is hand. He smiled and tilted his head back against the wall.

"I love you Kim…"

"I love you too Ron." She blurted it out without even caring that her father was right beside her.

Ron's smile grew wider and his eyes slowly drew shut. Kim waited a moment for them to open again, but they remained shut. Then his smile faded and his entire body relaxed.

"Ron?" He didn't answer.

"Ron?" She leaned in and said his name louder, just in case he didn't hear it the first time; still no response.

"**Ron!**" She grabbed her partner's shoulders and began to shake him. With a painful yelp, the teen's eyes flew open and refocused on his girlfriend's worried face.

"**Ow, what!**" His question was answered in the form of a rather harsh slap.

"_Don't you ever do that again!_" Kim hissed. "I-I thought I'd lost you…"

"Relax…" He reached up and stroked her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, I just…"

"What?" Kim questioned his abrupt silence. He looked up at the ceiling.

"Do you…hear that?"

Everyone in the room stopped and listened. In the distance, they could hear a low rumbling sound coming up fast from the East.

* * *

In less than ten seconds the rumble grew to an overwhelming roar as two Vietnam-era National Guard Hueys arrived over the compound and flared to a stop. At the same time, over two-dozen members of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team emerged from the woods, quickly securing a spot for the SWAT teams on the helicopters to fast-rope down. 

Less than a minute after their arrival, close to fifty heavily armed state and federal law enforcement personnel were working their way through the compound toward the barn. Surprisingly they met with little resistance as most of the _Order_ members turned and fled into the sanctuary of the compound's church.

By the time the first State TAC team reached the locked barn door, the police and FBI had managed to clear the grounds and surround the church where 98 of the _Order_ now resided.

* * *

"_You stupid assholes!_" Sean picked the mic up and keyed the talk button. 

"It's not too late to surrender Kerry."

"_Fuck you!_" The transmission ended as abruptly as it began.

"Sean!" Shego yelled, her submachine gun was pointed at the top of the stairs. "We got movement!" The FBI agent rushed over and took aim next to her.

Above them, they could hear heavy footsteps traversing the cluttered maze of farm equipment. As they got closer to the opening, they heard someone shout "Over here!" and all of the footsteps seemed to stop around the opened cellar door.

Sean looked over at Kim and her father and gestured for the two to take up a kneeling position on either side of the stairway, that way they had a rough echelon formation covering the stairs.

"**Agent Pollard?**" A voice shouted from above them.

"**Yeah?**" He really couldn't think of anything better to answer with.

"**I'm Lt. Donovan, Iowa State Police, we're coming down alright?**"

"**Slowly,**" Sean cautioned. "**And bring a stretcher!**"

The four of them watched cautiously as five black-clad tactical officers with ISP patches on their shoulder descended the stairs. Sean took no time in controlling the situation.

"We need to get him to a hospital, _now_!" Sean pointed to Ron, who appeared to be nearing unconsciousness.

The man nodded and called in the all clear. A few seconds later two more TAC officers came down with a combat stretcher and transitioned Ron onto it.

"We're going to need to fly him out." Sean informed the TAC team leader.

"Already been done," The officer replied rather testily. "Life Flight should be here in a few minutes. They're taking him and Dr. Possible to St. Luke's Advanced Surgery Center in Cedar Rapids."

"But I'm not injured…" Bill attempted to argue but Shego interrupted him.

"Sorry Doc, it's procedure." The scientist opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it.

"The compound's been secured," The TAC officer informed them. "If you can follow me, we'll get you out of this basement."

* * *

Kim glanced around nervously as they followed Lt. Donovan and his men out of the barn and toward an open area at the front of the farm. Looking around, she couldn't believe that there had been such a violent shootout just twenty minutes before. 

The compound was now completely overrun by law enforcement personnel; everywhere she looked there were armed SWAT officers with 'POLICE' or 'FBI' on their backs shuffling around. There was absolutely no sign of any of the _Order_ members who had been shooting at them earlier.

"Where is everybody?" Sean asked, referring to Noble and his men.

The lieutenant gestured toward a large wooden building near the other side of the compound where nearly a dozen state and federal SWAT officers stood ready; their guns all pointed at its hastily-boarded up windows. From the white cross adorning the planks above the front door, it was obviously a church of some sort.

"They all barricaded themselves in the church as soon as we arrived. We've got a negotiator in route, but it looks like they've doused themselves in some sort of accelerant." The man announced emotionlessly. "It appears they're preparing to torch themselves."

Sean shook his head and snorted in disgust. "That's a fucking shame, let's just make sure none of us are holding the match when they decide to end it."

Reaching the front of the farm, they stopped just as a small convoy of rescue vehicles rolled past on their way to the rear of the compound. The two officers laid Ron's stretcher on the ground and took off to resume their duties while Kim knelt down to be with her partner. His face was pale and sweaty and he seemed to be trembling slightly and mumbling to himself.

She took his right hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Hang on Ron, we're getting you out of here." Even as she spoke, she could hear the sound of an approaching helicopter coming up quickly from the south. Hearing his partner's voice, Ron's trembling subsided slightly and a peaceful smile spread across his face.

With a high-pitched whine, the sleek medical helicopter reached the clearing and buzzed overhead. The group anxiously watched the flashing navigational lights of the craft as it circled once, and settled down only fifty feet in front of them.

While the pilot kept the rotors of the massive Sikorsky idling, the flight medic and engineer opened the rear door and carried a more formal metal-frame gurney over to the injured teen.

Kneeling down next to Kim, the medic gave the blond teen a quick survey and turned to the frightened redhead next to him. "What've we got?" His voice was completely professional with no hint of worry or compassion.

Shego leaned down and pointed out the bullet wound and the intensifying discoloration beneath it. "GSW to the lower left abdomen with critical internal hemorrhaging." She gestured behind her back toward Bill. "You're taking him for observation as well, he's been held captive for the last five days."

The medic nodded, waved his flight engineer over to help Bill, and looked back at Kim. "Ma'am, could you give me a hand with the gurney?"

Kim grabbed one end and the two hustled Ron toward the waiting helicopter with Sean and Shego close behind. By the time they reached the waiting aircraft, the engineer already had Bill fastened into one of the foldout seats. Kim helped guide the gurney into the back and stepped up to find a spot in the helicopter, only to be forced back by the medic.

"**Sorry, flights full!**" He shouted over the din of the engines.

"**But…that's my boyfriend!**" She tried to shove him out of the way, but he had quite a bit of leverage against the opened door.

The medic was momentarily caught off guard by Kim's comment, but he held his ground. "**I'm sorry but there's just no room!**" He waved his arm toward Bill, who was staring nervously at Ron. "**We're already overweight as it is, any more and it will delay our arrival time at the hospital!**"

Kim seriously doubted a helicopter of that size could be slowed too much with an additional hundred and ten pounds, but she didn't argue it further. With a sigh of defeat she stepped back from the Sikorsky and watched helplessly as the medic closed the door.

With an increased whine, the massive craft rose into the air, retracted its landing gear, and dipped its nose toward the south. Just as quickly as it had arrived, it was gone…

"Hey Kim?" She felt Sean place his hand gently on her shoulder. "I found this little guy huddled in Ron's tactical vest."

Kim spun around and found Rufus sitting in the agent's hand, looking up at her with round worried eyes.

As Kim took the pink rodent in her hand, Rufus tilted his head and asked, "Ron, ok?"

She held back her sobs just long enough to choke out, "I-I don't know?"

* * *

_Possible Residence_  
_Middleton, Colorado – June 7 06:08_

For a Tuesday morning, the activity around the Possible household was unusually quiet. Weekday mornings usually consisted of chaos, destruction, chemical explosions, and at least one physical altercation (usually between Jim and Tim)…and that was _before_ breakfast. This morning, however, was quiet.

In the kitchen Dr. Kathryn Possible sat staring at the empty seat that her husband would usually occupy to read the morning paper. The past five days had been the hardest of her entire life; first her husband of twenty years was abducted right out of their living room, then, one day later, her only daughter just disappeared along with Ronald.

It wasn't until the following morning that she learned of her daughter's arrest and incarceration. Ron's whereabouts, they claimed, were unknown.

Shortly thereafter, the FBI began to disappear from her house, one agent after another. They had assured her that the case was still being actively pursued, and that they would return as often as possible; a few did…the rest did not.

Currently, the only official still at the residence was Agent Marcus Olmo, a young man two months out of Quantico who had literally slept on the couch for the past five days. He had helped Kathryn out in any way he could and was instrumental in keeping her in one piece throughout the ordeal.

Jim and Tim had also done their part in maintaining their mother's sanity, though they were most likely unaware of it.

Kathryn had decided to bring her sons home after Kim was arrested and since then, they had done nothing but argue, yell, fight, cause small explosions, and carry on as if nothing was wrong. From the outside, this may have seemed like inappropriate behavior for Kathryn to have to deal with, but the small ray of normality actually helped to take her mind off of the events around her. She found that it was very difficult to worry about her husband and daughter while yelling at her sons regarding the dangers of creating a breeder nuclear reactor underneath the kitchen sink.

Even as she sat staring at the unopened morning paper, she could hear them in the living room, arguing over what channel to watch. It had been like that for the last three mornings; Jim wanted to watch _The History Channel_, Tim wanted to watch _The Discovery Channel_, and Agent Olmo always ended the fight by turning to _MSNBC_, effectively driving them from the room. Just the thought of the childish argument that was surely escalating helped to raise her spirits slightly…that is, until she heard both Jim and Tim shout for her.

"**MOM!**"

Kathryn stood up from her seat and rushed toward the living room to see what the problem was. In the entry hallway she bumped into Agent Olmo who, with a confused and concerned look on his face, mumbled "I'm checking on this now". He began to punch the keys on his cell phone and hurried out the front door.

Entering the living room, the forty-three year old neurosurgeon found her twin boys sitting calmly next to each other with a look of shock and horror on their faces.

"We couldn't figure out what to watch…" Jim began; only to be interrupted by Tim in a manner that only twins could manage.

"So Agent Olmo turned to the news…"

"And this was on live!" Kathryn looked over toward the television and let out a horrified gasp.

The image on the screen appeared to be some sort of official press conference. The suited man speaking was identified by the news ticker as _Assistant Director Muller, FBI, Des Moines Field Office_.

Below the title were the words _Possible Kidnapping Update: Iowa shootout ends in rescue of scientist, injury to rescue team_.

Kathryn rushed over and snatched the remote off of the couch, turning the volume on the TV up high enough for the neighbors to hear clearly.

"…_there are currently three confirmed fatalities, all of which appear to be members of the terrorist group_." The FBI agent paused and waited to field another question.

One of the unseen reporters was quick to shout out his question. "_There are rumors that the CDC_ (Center for Disease Control)_ is currently on scene up at the farm. Is there some type of biological infection?"_

Agent Muller responded almost before the question was finished. "_I am currently unaware of **any** CDC personnel on scene at this time."_

"_Is it true that Team Possible had a role in this operation and shootout?"_ Another male voice shouted out above the crowd.

"_Yes, Kim Possible and her partner Ronald Stoppable assisted the initial rescue team with the safe removal of Dr. William Possible. Their team was also the one that came under fire and were forced to take cover in the barn._"

Back in the living room, Jim and Tim both exchanged shocked and confused glances. They turned and looked over at their equally shocked mother. "I thought you said Kim was arrested and Ron was missing?" Jim asked.

"I…was told she was…" Kathryn muttered.

Jim turned back toward his brother with an excited grin. "Kim's fighting terrorists…"

"Just like Jack Bauer in _24_…"

"Or Bruce Willis in _Die Hard_…"

"**_Cool_!**" They both gave each other a high-five.

"I wonder if she got to shoot anybody?"

"Quiet, both of you!" Kathryn snapped, holding out her hand to silence them. Back on the television screen, Agent Muller finished his next answer and fielded another question, this time from one of the female reporters standing in the front.

"_Director Muller, is it true that a member of the rescue team was injured during the shootout? Was it a member of Team Possible? What were his or her injuries?_"

"_Yes, unfortunately Ronald Stoppable, Kim Possible's partner, was injured during the course of the rescue. He was flown to an undisclosed metropolitan hospital along with Dr. Possible, who was not injured, and his condition is, at this point, unknown._"

As the Assistant Director was speaking, another official had crept up behind him and was waiting for him to finish. When he did, the new arrival rushed up, handed him a piece of paper, whispered to him, and left faster than he had appeared.

Everyone sat in confused silence as the federal agent reviewed the memo and set it down on the podium. With a heavy sigh, he looked back up at the crowd and began to speak.

"_I have just been handed a press release which I am going to read directly. Afterwards this press conference will be concluded and no further questions will be asked._" He took a deep breath and began to read.

"_At approximately 1:35am this morning, Agents from the FBI, and NSA, as well as world renounced teen-heroes Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable infiltrated the compound of the radical terrorist organization known as _The New Order_ in an attempt to rescue Kim's father and famed scientist Dr. William Timothy Possible, who was kidnapped from his home on June second.  
_

_The team was successful in recovering Dr. Possible unharmed, however, shortly after his rescue, they were involved in an exchange of gunfire with terrorist soldiers and Mr. Stoppable was injured.  
_

_According to preliminary reports, Stoppable was hit just above his left hip with a high-powered automatic rifle. The team managed to find shelter in the cellar of a nearby barn and was successful in holding off the terrorist forces long enough for their backup to arrive.  
_

_The compound was secured and both Dr. Possible and Mr. Stoppable were airlifted via Life Flight helicopter to St. Luke's Advanced Surgery Center in Cedar Rapids. Mr. Stoppable was reported to have massive internal bleeding and was unresponsive upon arrival at St. Luke's.  
_

_He was immediately taken into surgery, however, despite the staff's best efforts, he did not make it out of the operating room…_" Muller looked up and spoke directly into the cameras, his face a mixture of disbelief and sorrow. "On _June 7, 2005 at exactly 3:18am local time, Ronald Dean Stoppable was pronounced deceased._"

With that Director Muller turned and exited the podium, leaving the reporters, and countless individuals around the nation, in shocked silence.

* * *

_- Sorry about the long delay, I had to rewrite this chapter several times just to make it presentable...and I'm still not pleased. There will be one more chapter after this, plus an epilogue (Which may or may not get its own chapter). _

_There is going to be a sequel to this story, most likely titled along the lines of An Enemy Within, Inner Evil, or something to that nature. It's going to have a lot more procedural detail and storyline put into it, so updates may not be as often. Until then, stay tuned for chapter 12, coming soon..._

* * *

**- My apologies for the earlier chapter 12 SNAFU...it looks like the actual chapter somehow got replaced with an older document. I'm holding out hope that the original Ch.12 is still intact somewhere, but right now it's looking like I have to rewrite it...**


	12. Chapter 12

_Well, after having the original Ch. 12 and Epilogue erased and replaced by a year old police report, here it is; the revamped end to A Loss of Innocence. Enjoy...

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**_

_Middleton High School  
__Middleton, Colorado – June 7 08:02_

Mrs. Clarkson stood at the front of the room watching impatiently as her students continued to mill about and socialize, despite the obvious fact that the final bell had rung over two minutes ago.

"Alright everyone, class has started, please take your seats."

Slowly, the defiant students began to sit down and remove various colored binders from their backpacks. A quick visual roll call showed that the only students missing (Aside from Kim and Ron) were Monique and Felix.

"Has anyone seen Monique?" Mrs. Clarkson asked. She had passed the girl on her way to the faculty lounge that morning, so she knew she wasn't sick.

"Mr. Barkin pulled her and Felix into his office about ten minutes ago." Some one in the back of the room shouted out.

"Oh, alright then." She made a note on her roll sheet and placed it on top of her desk. She then retrieved a copy of the class' current reading assignment and opened it to a pre-selected page. "If everyone could please turn to page one-hundred and seventy-three in _The Importance of Being Earnest_, we're going to pick up at Act III, Scene…" With a squeal of feedback, the school PA system came to life and interrupted the already aggravated teacher's lesson plan.

"_All students report to the gym for an important announcement._" The voice belonged to Middleton High's Principle, Steve Barkin.

As the student body began to file out and head toward the gym on the other side of the campus, there was a general feeling of uneasiness in the air. Subconsciously, many of the students could detect that something was wrong, they just couldn't quite figure out what.

Only a few students noticed the flag had been lowered to half-mast as they passed it heading toward the gym. What most of them _did_ notice were Mr. Barkin, Monique, and Felix.

The teens were both seated next to a podium in the center of the gym. They were holding hands, though obviously for comfort and support rather than affection, and had their eyes fixed to the floor in a depressing manner. Behind them, Barkin stood talking with one of the schools counselors. His normally gruff and relatively emotionless face was ominously absent.

It was at this point that most of the arriving students realized something was _very_ wrong…

* * *

_Route 281 Westbound  
__Fairbank, Iowa – June 7, 11:31_

Sean sat on the hood of his car, watching in silence as a patch of dark thunderclouds disappeared over the low, rolling hills in the distance. Kim was sitting alone about a hundred yards from the road next to a long-abandoned farm tractor.

Upon learning the news, Kim had gone into a state of shock and, in the three hours since they left the farm, had only spoken three words…

"_Stop the car._"

The three of them had returned to Oelwein to pack-up and switch cars and were on their way to the Waterloo Municipal Airport when Kim told them to stop. Assuming the teen was about to throw-up again, Sean quickly complied.

Rather than vomit, Kim had instead run out into the nearby field and remained there without moving for close to thirty minutes. The agent could tell from the earlier movement of her shoulders that she was crying, however, for the past fifteen minutes she had been still. Rufus, the last remaining element of Ron, had kept her company: both comforting her, and grieving with her.

Behind him, Sean heard Susan close her cell phone and exit the Crown Vic, grumbling as she joined her boyfriend on the hood of the car. With a heavy sigh, she looked over at Sean and shook her head.

"CDC's not moving on their decision Sean."

"I thought you have connections within the Center?" Sean commented bitterly.

"I do, but there's only so much David can accomplish." She looked across the field at Kim. "According to protocol '_any injury, illness, or death that occurs as a direct result of actions taking place within an area defined by Center personnel as a "hot zone" is to be handled by appropriate means_'." She reached into her pocket and retrieved a recently bought pack of cigarettes, pulling one out and using her index finger to light the tip before continuing. "_'Any injury or illness is quarantined, any death is isolated and cremated. No appeals, no exceptions.'_ His words." Sean watched as Susan took a long drag on her cigarette and let it out with a gentle cough.

"I thought you quit smoking in high school?" He commented. She looked over at him and gave a weak smile.

"I did…" She replied. Sean reached over, snatched the cigarette from her lips, and tossed it onto the dirt road.

"So don't start now." The two federal agents sat in silence for several minutes before Susan spoke up.

"You should go talk to her." She stated calmly. Sean shook his head.

"She blames me…" He answered in a tired voice.

"She doesn't blame you Sean."

"I would…" Sean dropped his head in shame. "It was my operation and my fuck-up. Now he's dead…how is that _not_ my fault?"

"You want to start placing blame?" Susan asked, her voice rising slightly in hostility. "How about the fact that it was _my_ intel that underestimated the _Order_'s sentry movement. Or what about her father?" She gestured toward Kim. "His work is the reason we had to go in there in the first place."

"But it was my operation…" Sean replied, still not convinced. Susan grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face her.

"You want someone blame Sean? Blame Erik Noble. He's the one responsible for Ron's death, and he's dead as a result of his actions. So is his father…"

"What?" Sean gave her a questioning look.

"David just updated me; Kerry and several of his senior members killed themselves in the church, the rest of the group has surrendered peacefully." Sean shook his head in disgust and looked back out toward the grieving redhead.

"Why should _I_ talk to her anyway?" Sean asked defiantly. "You're the one who was playing 'big sister' earlier. Besides, you've known each other longer…in a weird kind of way."

"But I haven't suffered a loss like she has." Susan answered. Sean let out a weak laugh and turned away from her.

"So what? I go up and say, _'Hey Kim, I know the person you love is gone but guess what, so is mine. Wanna start a club?'_"

Susan said nothing. After several more seconds of silence, Sean stood up and, with a heavy sigh, headed out toward the rusted tractor.

* * *

Kim could hear someone approaching, but she didn't bother to turn around. It could only be one of two people, and she didn't want to deal with _either_ of them right now. It wasn't that she necessarily blamed them for what happened, she just didn't feel there was anything they could say to help her at the moment…especially since she had learned that she wouldn't even have a chance to see Ron again thanks to some bullshit CDC protocol. She barely glanced over when Sean took a seat in the grass next to her. 

"What do you want?" She asked, picking Rufus up off the ground and placing him in her lap.

"I want to show you something." Sean said. He pulled out his wallet and removed a small glossy photograph.

Kim took the photo and examined it. It was a group-photo of Sean, Susan, and a third girl with shoulder-length blond hair taken outside of what appeared to be a small-town burger joint. Sean and the blonde were both wearing dark blue police uniforms and their arms around each other's shoulders. Susan was standing behind them in normal school clothes and appeared to be giving the two officers 'bunny ears'. They all looked to be about seventeen or eighteen and had large smiles plastered on their faces.

"Who's the blonde?" Kim asked, pointing to the girl in the photo.

"That's Kathryn Mossman," Sean replied in a soft voice. "Her friends called her Kate. She was _my_ Ron."

"What happened to her?" Kim asked, noticing that the teens' pose was almost identical to one of her, Ron, and Monique that was sitting on her desk at home.

"She was killed in the line of duty," Sean answered. "Murdered by a strung-out hype who thought she was coming to arrest him and confiscate his drugs."

"Were you there, when it happened?" Kim asked, handing the photo back to him. Sean shook his head and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"No, I got to listened to it live over the police radio." He passed the piece of paper between his hands nervously. "Immediately after her death, I shut myself in my room and did nothing but drink. After several hours, I decided I wanted to be with her so bad, I put a round in my service weapon and tried to kill myself." The FBI agent finally faced her and Kim could see that his eyes were slightly redder than they normally were.

"What stopped you from going through with it?" Kim asked.

"Two things," Sean responded. "First was the fact that the gun I chose to use wouldn't fire if there wasn't a magazine inserted, a safety feature I overlooked in my intoxicated state. The second," He held up the piece of paper in his left hand. "Was this letter."

Sean looked at the paper in his hand and seemed to ponder a decision in his head for a few seconds before he handed it over to Kim. She looked over at the agent with questioning eyes and he motioned for her to open it.

"Susan came by shortly after my suicide attempt and gave that to me. Apparently she found it in Kate's locker when she was cleaning it out. It was addressed to me." Kim unfolded the letter and began to read it.

_Sean,_

_If you are reading this letter, it most likely means one of two things; either the unthinkable has occurred and I am no longer there with you, or you are going through my locker without my permission…if **that's** the case, I'm going to fucking **kill you**!_

Kim let out a small laugh and glanced over at Sean. The agent, already well aware of what Kim had found funny, smiled and wiped a tear from his eye.

"She had the most unique personality." Sean told her. "Kate could make you laugh in just about _any_ situation."

"I knew someone like that too." Kim nodded and looked back to the letter.

_If something **has** happened to me, I want you to know that, whatever it was; it's not your fault. I joined the department because I wanted to better the community, and myself, not because you were doing it too. I knew there were risks involved with a career in law enforcement; you made that clear to me, I only hope you can forgive me for leaving you in such a manner._

_You know I don't really believe in God or the afterlife, but if there is a Heaven and Hell, the last thing I want to do is look up and see you taking a downward spiral over this._

_I love you. I think deep down, I've always loved you; and I know that you love me too (right?), but you need to move on and continue with your life._

_You are an amazing person and your 'Type-A' personality will allow you to excel at whatever you chose to do in life. Remember this, and know that wherever you go, and whoever you find love with, I will always be there with you..._

_Don't mourn my death Sean…celebrate my life._

_I love you, forever and for always,_

_Kathryn Ann Mossman_

For a moment, Kim thought the drops of water hitting the paper were rain, then she realized it was her own silent tears. Reading the letter, she had heard Ron's voice. It was as if he was there with her, reciting the same message into her ear, telling her that he loved her…forever and for always. She folded the letter and handed it back to Sean, but the agent waved it off.

"I want you to keep that Kim," He said, looking her straight in the eyes. "I want you to block out the Sean and Kate references and only hear what the core of the letter is trying to say. If you ever began to feel that you can't go on, you just sit down somewhere private, and you read that letter…as many times as you need to for the hopelessness to pass." He looked up at the sky and took a long labored breath. "It works…I know." Kim looked down at the folded letter in her hands and nodded her head.

"Thank you…"

"Thank Kate," The agent responded. "They're her words, not mine." Slowly, Sean stood up and offered his hand to the redhead.

"I need a few more minutes alone." Kim said, gently unfolding the letter and looking up at him with a slightly more confident expression. "Just a few…"

As Sean slowly headed back toward Susan, he could hear Kim reading the letter out-loud to Rufus. Her voice, while still weak and choked-up, seemed to be steadying with each sentence read.

* * *

_Middleton High School  
__Middleton, Colorado – June 17 18:46_

"_And so, by the power granted to me by the Tri-City High School District and the Colorado Department of Education, I present the Middleton High Class of 2005._"

On both sides of the podium, cheers and applause erupted. The entire group of gown-clad students turned to hug, kiss, or high-five each other. Even Kim allowed herself to smile and celebrate. This was it; she was now a high school graduate.

As the graduates began to fan out and regroup with their family and friends, the sound system came alive and began to play a gentle guitar chorus. As the words for the song began to echo across the football field, Kim walked toward the memorial erected for the one student who did not walk today.

**Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road  
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go  
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why  
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time **

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.  
I hope you had the time of your life.

Every member of the Senior Class had graduated today, even Ron. As she approached the five by four framed photo of her best friend, Kim noticed someone else was already there.

**So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind  
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time  
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial  
For what it's worth it was worth all the while **

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.  
I hope you had the time of your life.

Kim approached the solitary student and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hey Bonnie." Her former rival turned around in shock and pretended to readjust her non-existent contact lenses.

"Stupid summer air is drying out my contacts…" Bonnie muttered, turning back to face the shrine.

"Yeah, this air can be hell sometimes…" Kim responded, not removing her hand from Bonnie's shoulder.

**It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.  
I hope you had the time of your life.**

After several seconds, the brown-haired cheerleader turned to face Kim.

"I was always such an asshole to him, wasn't I?"

"Actually, the term he used was 'Queen Bitch'." Kim offered. "But he never let it get to him. You could call him a loser and shove him aside, but Ron would just keep on grinning and come up with a funny retort behind your back." Kim smiled at the memories of Ron's cheery disposition.

**It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.  
I hope you had the time of your life.**

Without warning, Bonnie grabbed Kim and hugged her, sobbing into her shoulder.

"I-I'm so sorry…" Kim was caught off guard by the girl's sudden one-eighty in attitude. After a few moments of uneasiness, Kim put her arms around Bonnie and began to comfort her as best she could.

Brick Flagg, evidently noticing his girlfriend's sorrow, came over to offer his condolences and take Bonnie home. Kim watched the quarterback lead the sobbing girl out of the stadium and turned to find her family (Mom, Dad, and Tweebs) as well as Sean standing behind her.

"Congratulations honey!" Kathryn and Bill cheered, running up and hugging their daughter. Sean stood back and watched, exchanging nervous glances with Jim and Tim who appeared to be eying the Glock on his hip in a manner that made him very uncomfortable.

After being smothered half to death by her excited parents, Kim walked over to Sean, who cleared his throat and extended his hand.

"Congratulations Kim, I…" Rather than take the agents hand, Kim wrapped both arms around the man and hugged him. As shocked and confused as Kim had been to be hugged by Bonnie, Sean's confusion was about five times that.

"Thank you." She said, backing up and looking the shocked agent in the eyes.

"Uh, for what?" He asked. Kim reached under her gown and pulled out a folded piece of white paper.

"For this." She replied. Sean smiled and nodded.

"I just wanted to let you know, the suit against you has been dropped." Sean said.

As if Ron's death hadn't been bad enough, three days after the shooting a lawyer, representing 'the interests of the Noble Family' had filed a lawsuit against Kim in civil court for wrongful death. According to him, Erik Noble was actually _helping_ the rescue team in the retrieval of Dr. Possible and was firing on the _terrorists_ when Kim shot him.

The Bureau reviewed Kim's statements taken between the shooting and news of Ron's death and concluded that the shooting was completely justified. They provided the Possible's with a team of defense attorneys who, apparently, made quick work in getting the suit dropped.

"What about the other lawsuit?" Kim asked.

On June 12, Kim had learned from her parents that Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable had also filed a lawsuit for wrongful death, this time against the FBI.

"The Bureau has decided to settle out of court." Sean informed her. "They're getting 1.2 million and, from what I heard, are moving out West after the funeral."

"Yeah," Kim replied. "I heard about them moving…" The two stood in awkward silence for a few seconds before Sean spoke up.

"So what are you going to do now?" Sean asked. Kim gave a slight shrug and looked back to her family.

"I'm not really sure at the moment. I'm thinking about late-admission to Harvard, but I'm not sure what I want to major in. After that…I don't know."

"Well," Sean replied, fishing a business card from his wallet. "If you ever want to consider a career in federal law enforcement, I have a good friend over at Quantico…the Bureau would love to have you aboard. Think you'd be interested?" Kim looked over the card and smiled slightly.

"Well see…"

* * *

_- The song was "Time of Your Life" by Green Day. It was mainly put in to signify the graduation, but if you choose to find deeper meaning in it, be my guest. Next chapter: Epilogue._


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_**- Five Years later -**_

_When I was younger, my dad used to tell me "Kimmie, sometimes life just throws you a curveball". He used that expression to explain that, sometimes, you just have to deal with hard times in your life. What he didn't tell me was that sometimes life throws more than one…sometimes it throws a dozen: fast and hard._

_After graduation, I was hit with the first of many. I had made it very clear to everyone that the hero work was over. Without Ron it just couldn't be done. A lot of people (myself included) felt that this was a bad decision though. I mean, without me who would stop the villains? Apparently the government had the same thought._

_Two weeks after Ron's funeral, the UN Security Council declared an end to global terror from super villains and launched the largest international military strike since the Allied invasion of France during World War II. Every major villain I had ever fought (Except Shego) was taken down…some much harder than others._

_Drakken, Killigan, DNAmy, and the Seniors all went without a struggle. Drakken apparently broke down and started crying like a baby when he saw Susan wearing the badge of a federal law enforcement agency. Turns out the blue-skinned doctor had developed feelings for the woman over the years and saw her as something of a daughter. He hung himself in his jail cell while awaiting transfer to a federal prison. I almost feel sorry for him sometimes…almost. Dr. Dementor and Monkey Fist weren't so eager to give up, and they paid the price._

_Dementor threw a Bondo-ball at the CT team that raided his lair and got a gut full of 12-guage buckshot for his efforts. He spent eight months in a Greek prison hospital, six of them hooked up to a colostomy bag. _

_For those of you unaware of what that is, it's essentially an artificial digestive system that sits on your chest while your real intestines are still too weak to work on their own. Nothing spoils your lunch like watching your breakfast digest before your eyes._

_With Ron gone, Monkey Fist reveled in the fact that he was now the supreme monkey ruler. He moved his HQ to an ancient temple in the African jungle and eventually met his end at the hands of a local resistance movement. Kind of ironic really: the master of Monkey Kung-fu, killed by a group of guerrillas…if there is a God, I like his sense of humor. The US government, of course, remained adamant that they had no involvement with the guerilla fighters, even after they began to replace their rusted Kalashnikov's and Uzi's with brand new M4's and HK's…coincidence I guess._

_I started my freshman year at Harvard in the fall of 2005 and, not really sure what I wanted to major in, settled on Administration of Justice._

_That semester my mom also convinced me to meet with an old college friend of hers who was now a psychologist near the campus. Her name was Dr. Helen Peters: a pleasant woman in her late forties whose main goal became looking after my well-being._

_Up until that time, I had come to rely on Sean's letter as something of a 'comfort blanket' as she called it. Her goal was to help me continue my life without the need to have it within arms reach._

_At the time I didn't think it would be possible, but she came up with an effective plan of action. In the beginning, she would hold onto it for a few minutes while we talked in-session, then she would give it back for the rest of the meeting. After a while, she began to hold onto it longer: sometimes for the entire hour. A few months went by and suddenly I was able to leave it in my apartment while I attended morning classes, then return to it during lunch and take it with me for the rest of the day._

_By the beginning of my spring semester, I was able to make it through the entire day. To celebrate, Dr. Peters had the letter framed so I could hang it up on my wall as a reminder of what I had overcome. She bought a frame with a removable back, just in case I ever needed it for 'special' occasions._

_Two weeks later Rufus died; the letter came down. Rufus was in effect, the last living remnants of Ron that I had left, with him gone, I had nothing to remind me of the good old days and no one to comfort me at night. I had my run of relationships, but none of them got any farther than the bedroom door. I just wasn't ready…I still don't think I'm ready._

_As usual, the curveballs continued to fly. In the summer of 2006, I was hit with two of them in the same month. In early July, mom informed me that dad had been offered a promotion to head USAMRIID's Viral Research Program at Fort Detrick, Maryland…the Possible family was leaving Middleton._

_A few weeks later representatives of the Walt Disney Corporation contacted me and told me that they had a new animated series in the works that was based on Team Possible's 'adventures'. They wanted to know if I would consent to the idea. I told them no…they did it anyway._

_In February of 2007, _Disney's Kim Possible®_ came out across the nation. My parents hired a lawyer, but apparently because our exploits were considered 'public image', Disney had every right. The cartoon went on for three seasons before it was canceled by the higher-ups…something about a sixty-five-episode policy, not that I had any complaints._

_Because of the unwanted attention my name and looks were getting as a result of the show, I decided to make some minor alterations to my appearance. I began to dress in a more conservative manner, which wasn't out of place for a criminal justice major, and changed my hairstyle. My mom actually joked that I looked like a shorter version of her and offered to buy me a lab coat to wear. I wasn't amused…though after a while, I had to look at old photographs just to remember what I **used** to look like._

_I graduated from Harvard in May of 2009 with a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice. Two phone calls and an interview later, I was on my way to Quantico, Virginia: the FBI Academy. I graduated in December of 2009 on the top echelon of my class. This came as a surprise to all of three people; everyone else was pretty much expecting it. I was hoping to see Sean or Susan at graduation, but they didn't show up._

_I'm not sure exactly what happened to Sean in the years following the Iowa incident, only that he took the brunt of the blame and barely managed to keep his badge. I still don't blame him for what happened and was sorry to hear he had fallen, I only hope he didn't fall too far. Last I heard he was working counter-terrorism somewhere on the West Coast…maybe I'll see him when I get to San Francisco._

_That's right, I just got word yesterday that I've been assigned to General Crime in the San Francisco Field Office. California here I come…but first, there's someone I need to visit on the way, someone I haven't visited for over five years._

_I think I'm going to take the letter off the wall for this…

* * *

_

_Middleton, Colorado  
__January 3, 2010 – 22:05_

A light breeze blew through the trees of the Middleton Cemetery, giving the scenery an eerie feel. For the sole living occupant, however, the breeze didn't seem to bother him. The dark haired man stood looking down at the simple granite marker in front of him and read the inscription aloud.

"Ronald Dean Stoppable, April 3, 1987 - June 7, 2005. Loving Son, Best Friend, Hero."

His eyes caught sight of a silver ring lying at the base of the tombstone. Reaching down, he picked it up and examined it in his hand. It bore the insignia of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its center and had a graduation date of December 7, 2009 printed around its edge.

"Kim…" Behind him, a second figure approached slowly and came to a stop a few steps behind him.

"Adam," The new arrival announced. "I thought we discussed the ramifications of you coming here."

"Larry," The black-haired man responded casually. "You here alone, or did you bring your SWAT team again?"

"It's just me this time." He said, looking past Adam and reading the name printed on the marker. "What would you do if someone caught you here?" Adam chuckled and spun around to face the older gray-haired man.

"Actually Larry, I was thinking I'd just tell them the truth." He gestured toward the tombstone. "I'll just tell 'em I'm here to visit my own grave…that way they'll just dismiss me as a 5150…"

"That's not _your_ grave Adam…" Larry replied calmly. "And if you continue to leave the Reservation without authorization, I'm afraid we'll no longer be able to provide protection for Miss Possible." Adam's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

Without another word spoken, Larry gestured toward an idling suburban at the front gate to the cemetery and Adam quietly followed led them down to it. When they arrived at the gate, a man and a woman got out and held the back door open for Adam to enter. Once inside, the three suited individuals took their own places and the SUV drove off into the night…

* * *

_- There you have it...the end of one story, and the beginning of another. I wanted to try a segment in first-person to see how it would come out, let me know what you thought. I've also decided on a title for the sequel: Eleven Ninety-nine. Look for it in the coming weeks._


End file.
